Interface Support for Data Archaeology

I describe the IMACS interface, which supports a type of interactive data exploration task called data archaeology. The interface facilitates users in performing this task using three key design principles: (1) combine power and ease of use, (2) provide direct support for integrated, iterative data exploration, and (3) assist users in managing their work over time. I show how these principles are relevant in the data archaeology task, describe how knowledge representation technology provides a foundation for an adequate support system, and illustrate in detail how the interface offers powerful support for data archaeology. Keywords: knowledge discovery, interactive data exploration, marketing, knowledge representation, reuse 1 Introduction Databases have become ubiquitous throughout business, government, science, and other types of enterprise, leading organizations to view databases as sources of new and useful implicit knowledge. For example, a database of customers and purchases,..