Learning From Cases Using Excel

Netica can learn the CPTs of nodes directly from cases stored in an Excel spreadsheet (aka workbook).  Described elsewhere is Netica’s ability to learn from text files of cases, and Netica’s ability to link with Excel to export posterior beliefs.

Here are the steps to learn a Bayes net directly from an Excel spreadsheet:

1. Create an Excel Spreadsheet

2. Add Nodes to the Net

3. Discretize or Combine States

4. Add Link Structure

5. Learn CPTs

6. Use the Resulting Bayes Net

Note:  If you are using Netica on a Mac, learning from an Excel file will not work.  You must convert your case file into a text file and then you can proceed with the steps listed above.