SPSS Drafting Recruits for Data Mining ``Boot Camp''; Learn How to Get Started With Data Mining From the Data Mining Leader

Business Wire, July 16, 1999

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 16, 1999--

If you're interested in getting more information out of your data, enlist in SPSS' (Nasdaq: SPSS) data mining boot camp, beginning July 19 in Chicago. The boot camp is designed to help decision makers learn how data mining can work for them. In addition, the series provides a step-by-step guide on how to establish profitable data mining within an enterprise. This week-long series of courses offers a general overview as well as an in-depth, hands-on look at how to conduct a data mining initiative.

"The amount of data businesses collect is growing on a daily basis, but many people don't know how to turn that data into information for better decisions," said John Nawn, manager of training at SPSS. "As the leading data mining company with over 30 years of analytical experience, people turn to SPSS for guidance. These courses are designed to teach people to successfully mine their data using a proven methodology."

Data mining plays a part in the success of many of today's businesses by helping to identify the hidden patterns in customer data that can improve customer relations, increase revenues and reduce costs. Once discovered, this knowledge enables companies to leverage their information and experience to make more accurate predictions and better decisions.

 Sessions offered in SPSS' data mining boot camp include:

-    Data Mining: Executive Overview -- The one-day executive overview
     enables decision makers to begin or evaluate their firm's current
     plan for data mining. No prior experience with SPSS software is
     necessary, as this introduction quickly maps out the major steps
     of the data mining process. Topics covered include: how to set
     goals, frame research questions, organize data and select
     appropriate analysis methods.

     For the remainder of the week, the data mining boot camp provides
attendees with a blue print on how to conduct an actual data mining
project. This series of hands-on courses steps through data
understanding and preparation, modeling, reporting and deployment.

-    Data Mining: Understanding and Preparation - describes the data
     structure(s) required for data mining modeling, outlines the
     steps needed to create and explore a regular data file from
     disparate data sources. This course prepares attendees to
     organize data for data mining.

-    Data Mining: Modeling - introduces, explains and compares the
     major modeling methods in data mining. It enables attendees to
     choose, apply and interpret the results from the data mining
     method appropriate for their business question.

-    Data Mining: Reporting and deployment - demonstrates how graphics
     and reports can be used to obtain insight into patterns and
     relations in data using data mining data sets for the examples.

Pricing and Availability

The four courses may be taken together or separately. Pricing ranges from $499 to $699 per course, with special pricing for the complete series. For more information and to register for courses in the United States, visit www.spss.com/datamine/training/htm or call 312/651-3000. Future locations for the series will include international dates (to be determined) as well as:

Washington, DC Richmond, CA Chicago, IL

August 23-27 November 1-5 November 8-12

December 6-10

Company information

SPSS Inc. is a leader in business intelligence, especially data mining, as well as three vertical markets: survey/market research, quality improvement and scientific research. SPSS products and services transform organizations by helping users leverage information to improve processes that increase revenues and reduce costs. Today, more than 250,000 organizations use SPSS software to create and distribute information for better decision making.

Founded in 1968, SPSS has been a leader in data analysis for more than three decades. SPSS has won the following awards: named No. 28 in DM Review's Data Warehouse Top 100; placed No. 23 on the 1999 Soft-letter 100, a ranking of the top 100 personal computer software companies in the United States; and No. 97 in the 1999 Software 500, a ranking of the world's largest software vendors by Software Magazine. Headquartered in Chicago, SPSS has offices and distributors around the world. For more information, visit www.spss.com.

SPSS information is available on the World Wide Web through the SPSS Press Center at: http://www.spss.com/press.