How does TreeNet® fit into the scheme of data mining tools?
TreeNet® is designed for very high accuracy predictive modeling. Because TreeNet® attempts to achieve this goal even if very complex models are required, models may be relatively difficult to understand in detail. However, the graphs produced by TreeNet® software display the impact of any relevant predictor or pair of predictors on the target, thus revealing the underlying data structure. We see TreeNet® as a tool to be used after the data have been explored with tools such as CART and MARS. CART and MARS produce output that can clearly reveal data errors and inconsistencies, quickly leading to a detailed understanding of the data and potential problems. Once data quality has been assured and basic understanding of the key drivers in the data has been achieved, reanalyzing the data with TreeNet® is worthwhile. In most cases, TreeNet® will confirm the primary findings reported by CART or MARS while substantially increasing the predictive accuracy of the models.
