Data mining is sifting through data to identify patterns and establish relationships. It is a part of the process of knowledge discovery in databases. Data mining involves the use of sophisticated data analysis tools to discover previously unknown, valid patterns and relationships in large data sets. These tools can include statistical models, mathematical algorithms, and machine learning methods. Consequently, data mining consists of more than collecting and managing data, it also includes analysis and prediction. Data mining can be performed on data represented in quantitative, textual, or multimedia forms. Data mining applications can use a variety of parameters to examine the data. They include association sequence or path analysis, classification, clustering (finding and visually documenting groups of previously unknown facts, such as geographic location and brand preferences), and forecasting.