Single and Multidimensional association rules

Association rules are a commonly used technique in data mining and warehousing for discovering interesting relationships between variables or items in a dataset.

Single-dimensional association rules involve analyzing the relationships between two variables, such as the association between the purchase of a certain product and the purchase of another product. These rules can be represented as “if A, then B” statements, where A is the antecedent (the item that is being analyzed) and B is the consequent (the item that is being predicted or associated with A). For example, a single-dimensional association rule could be “If a customer buys bread, they are likely to also buy butter.”

Multidimensional association rules involve analyzing the relationships between three or more variables. These rules are useful for discovering more complex relationships between items, such as the association between a customer’s age, gender, and purchasing habits. Multidimensional association rules can be represented as “if A and B, then C” statements, where A and B are the antecedents and C is the consequent. For example, a multidimensional association rule could be “If a customer is female, over 30 years old, and has previously purchased skincare products, they are likely to also purchase anti-aging products.”

Both single and multidimensional association rules can be useful for identifying patterns and trends in large datasets, and can be used to make predictions and inform business decisions. However, multidimensional association rules are generally more complex and may require more advanced algorithms and techniques to discover.