Managing grouping options for symbolic predictors manually

Combine values or ranges based on the similarity of symbolic predictors' behavior.

Note: You can use the Auto grouping option and enable the Analytics Center portal to group predictors automatically.

  1. In the Data analysis step, click a symbolic predictor.

  2. Click the Grouping tab.

  3. In the Granularity field, specify the maximum probability of spurious difference in behavior.

    Reducing this probability reduces interval or category numbers.

  4. In the Minimum size (% of samples) field, specify the minimum number of cases in each interval or category.

    Use it to ensure that the behavior evidence is sufficient to be used in grouping. Intervals with few cases are combined with their nearest neighbor. Categories with few cases are combined into a residual bin.

  5. Click Apply.

  6. Click the Graphical view tab or Tabular view tab to read the data in the graph or table.
  7. If you change the field properties, you can select the Use as default settings option to override the default project settings.
  8. Disable the Ignore ordering option.

    When this option is enabled, categories are combined with any other category most similar in behavior. After you disable it, the order of the symbolic categories is assumed to have some meaning and only the neighboring categories are grouped.

  9. Disable the Merge bins below minimum size option.

    When this option is enabled, the categories below the minimum size are grouped in a residual bin on the assumption of insufficient cases for the behavior to be the basis for grouping.

  10. Click Submit.