Customer Review
An essential book for statistical analysts building predictive models for database marketing. This is a must have introductory book for the practitioner using data mining to build predictive models in industry. While it does have a few snippets of SAS code, it is a conceptual book that explains the "why" and the "how" of practical model building. It dispenses of with the antiquated notion of the "true" model of classical statistics and econometrics, and shows how to arrive at an acceptable model that yeilds good predictions. As practitioner's, this is what we care about most. Among other things, it gives good explanations of: (1) the EDA paradigm versus classical statistics (2) Tukey's bulging rule for transforming variables (3) variable selection. It discusses some of the weaknesses of automatic variable selection methods (4) smoothed scatterplots and logit plots (5) decile analysis and using bootstrapping to derive confidence intervals for cum lift.

The book shows you how to use logistic regression, OLS, and CHAID to build predictive models. For those interested in Genetic modeling, it has a clearly written chapter on the subject that explains how genetic modeling can be used to create new variables that can have more information than either of the original variables.

I predict that Dr. Ratner's Statistical Modeling and Analysis for Database Marketers: Effective Techniques for Mining Big Data will be on every database marketer's bookshelf. Dr Ratner has put together an assembly of chapters that provide an indispensable resource for the daily problems facing data analysts and model builders in the database/direct marketing community. In each of the seveenteen chatpers Dr. Ratner addresses a typical problem and discusses the common solution. He points out unknown working assumptions or weaknesses of the latter, and then offers better solutions, which require basic knowledge of EDA/data mining. Dr. Ratner's writing style is unique as he makes familar concepts new, and new concepts familar. Thus, the book is easy and enjoyable reading. I specially like chapter that blends statistics with the machine learning, such as the introduction of the GenIQ Model.

I consider myself fortunate to be the first to review this book. The title aptly indicates what the book is about: Statistical Modeling and Analysis for Database Marketers: Effective Techniques for Mining Big Data. The author provides in a Tukey-esque manner a collection of solutions to common problems facing database analysts, model builders, and marketers. The book can uniquely serve as a textbook, a how-to guide, and a reference source depending on the reader's statistical training and database marketing experience. Moreover, the author actually goes where other authors provide lip service: he creates the marriage of the "old" statistical methodologies with the new machine learning influence by introducing machine learning methods specifically tailored to database assessment of optimal model performance. The book's illustrations involve real problems, real data, and better solutions. This book is a keeper!

I work for an insurance company in a small department of statisticians (5 people), and we usually bring in text books, articles, presentation copies for periodical discussions. I brought in a book just purhcased to discuss with my colleagues - your excellent book - Statistical Modeling and Analysis for Database Marketing.

Dr. Ratner should be commended for writing this book that is truly original. As far as I am concerned there is no other book of its kind: most books present old topics and new subject matter in various forms without real change or improvement in substance. Each of Ratner's chapters is unique: a common problem is presented and a novel, superior solution (over the typical solution approach) is discussed. And, new subject matter is presented with an orignal and viable solution. Dr. Ratner shares his knowledge and has a lot of it to go around.

Bruce - great book! Where can I get the data set used in your book Statistical Modeling and Analysis for Database Marketing? Thanks.

I would like to say that I found your most recent book - Statistical Modeling and Analysis for Database Marketing: Effective Techniques for Mining Big Data - well written and easy to understand.

Statistical Modeling and Analysis for Database Marketing: Effective Techniques for Mining Big Data provides an excellent treatment of statistical modeling for database marketers. The book explains clearly how statistical modeling should be done in practice. In particular, I can see where the GenIQ Model can come handy in subselection of predictors and smoothing the variables. The book is a must for every statistical database marketing analyst and model builder.

I enjoyed reading your book Statistical Modeling and Analysis for Database Marketing: Effective Techniques for Mining Big Data. And, I just found your website DMSTAT1: Great collection of articles/reports!!

Statistical Modeling and Analysis for Database Marketing: Effective Techniques for Mining Big Data is an excellent book on statistical modeling relevant to marketing. The practical case studies and examples provided involve real problems and real data, and are taken from a variety of industries, including banking, insurance, finance, retail, and telecommunications.

Statistical Modeling and Analysis for Database Marketing: Effective Techniques for Mining Big Data is quite a good book, and without "competition" in the sense that there aren't many out there that are so focused and so accessible. Excellent job.