Using Data Mining Techniques for Knowledge Management: an Empirical Study

In this paper we argue that data mining can make a significant contribution to knowledge management initiatives. We use two studies to show how data mining can make the difference during the knowledge management process. First, we describe how data mining was used as part of the knowledge management initiative in a major Portuguese telecommunications company. We demonstrate how implementation of data mining for generating new knowledge about credit risk improved the company performance. Secondly, we carry out a feasibility study of a knowledge management project in a major Finnish engineering company. We explore how data mining can improve the quality and responsiveness of reporting in corporate communications unit. The results of the studies allow us to conclude that data mining has strong functional capabilities to support knowledge management initiatives.