Data mining is the practice of automatically searching large stores of data to discover patterns and trends that go beyond simple analysis. Data mining uses sophisticated mathematical algorithms to segment the data and evaluate the probability of future events. Data mining is also known as Knowledge Discovery in Data (KDD).
or-
Data mining is the analysis of data for relationships that have not previously been discovered. For example, the sales records for a particular brand of tennis racket might, if sufficiently analyzed and related to other market data, reveal a seasonal...
The key properties of data mining are:
Automatic discovery of patterns
Prediction of likely outcomes
Creation of actionable information
Focus on large data sets and databases
Data mining can answer questions that cannot be addressed through simple query and reporting techniques.