Data Mining Report Overview

Use the data mining reports to pull critical information from vast amounts of data and turn it into useful information by displaying it in a report either in the form of a list or in a graphical format. As a project manager, you can use this to analyze performance and suggest areas for improvement.

To produce a Data Mining report, you must first perform the following steps:

• On the PM Compass Navigation menu, click Administration » Data Mining. Select the rules and configure the parameters for the data conditions.

• Run Data Mining or schedule the Data Mining to occur on a regular basis. This process interrogates the database looking for any of the selected rules to be broken.

After the Data Mining process is complete, there are two reports that can be run to display the results:

• Data Mining Summary - This report displays each of the selected rules with a count of the rules that were broken. You can see the number of projects which contain the broken rules and the total occurrences. The hyperlink takes you to the Data Mining Detail report that shows the specific offending records.

• Data Mining Detail – This report displays each rule with the specific offending control account/work package or activity. The hyperlink in the report takes you to a Time Phased report to see the actual data.

• Since many of the rules are based on the current period or changes from the previous period, you have to advance the calendar at least one time before running this report. If you run this report on a project that has never had the calendar advanced, any broken rules that were found will not be displayed on the report. In addition, a newly created work package will not appear until you advance the calendar.

Data Mining is helpful to quickly find errors in large data sets. The majority of the rules are looking for poor project management processes such as negative earned value in the current period, or earned value increased with no actual costs, or TCIP greater than CPI. It helps project managers and executives analyze how they are performing and where to improve in their area of business.

Filtering the Data

You can specify either specific records or criteria when you define the filter that the system uses when creating the report. Click in the Selection column to display the Control Account Search Dialog Box.

For more information, see Modify Standard Reports and Specifying Criteria vs. Specific Records (Values).

Report Options

You can use the Options dialog box to customize the report. Click in the Options column to display the Data Mining Detail or Data Mining Summary Options dialog box which includes the following tabs:

Data Mining Summary Report

• Use the General tab to rename a report and select workflow display.

• Use the Layout tab to set the font, margins, orientation, page size, and other formatting options for the report.

Data Mining Detail Report

• Use the General tab to rename a report and select workflow to display.

• Use the Sorting/Grouping tab to specify the sequence in which data displays on the report.

• Use the Columns tab to select the columns that display on the report.

• Use the Graph tab to create a graph to display on the report.

• Use the Layout tab to set the font, margins, orientation, page size, and other formatting options for the report.

Generate the Report

You can generate these reports from the following areas:

• Reports » Cost Analysis » Data Mining Summary

• Reports » Cost Analysis » Data Mining Detail

Before you begin...

Set the data mining process criteria and parameters

Learn about...

Data mining parameters and rules

Data mining rule descriptions

What do you want to do?

Run Data Mining Summary Report

Review the report procedures (use, modify, edit, format, sort, and archive reports)

View location

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