A Multivariate Discretization Method for Learning Bayesian Networks from Mixed Data

01/30/2013

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by   Stefano Monti, et al.

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In this paper we address the problem of discretization in the context of learning Bayesian networks (BNs) from data containing both continuous and discrete variables. We describe a new technique for <EM>multivariate</EM> discretization, whereby each continuous variable is discretized while taking into account its interaction with the other variables. The technique is based on the use of a Bayesian scoring metric that scores the discretization policy for a continuous variable given a BN structure and the observed data. Since the metric is relative to the BN structure currently being evaluated, the discretization of a variable needs to be dynamically adjusted as the BN structure changes.