Methodological problems in the Web Mining field

A new solution to management requirements and objectives is offered by the opportunity to access a wide range of information - gathered throughout many years of activity or coming from external sources - regarding the different aspects of corporate activity. The set-up of a correct commercial strategy, the creation of new products and services, the opening of new points of sale, and the conception of a cross-selling activity are issues that are generally faced by exploiting sector knowledge, experience and past mistakes. Innovation in new technologies and Data Mining activity do not deny traditional knowledge - which still remains essential - but combine the decisional steps with structured rules by creating a synthesis of complex and huge information heritage. In this particular situation it is important to adapt these techniques to the New Economy data and in particular to Web sites data: therefore, it is necessary to switch from the Data Warehouse to the Web Housing method and from Data Mining to Web Mining. The Web Mining method is based on Web Housing since that is where it draws the data and the meta-information from. Web Housing can be considered as a development of the Data Warehouse for e-Intelligence applications. The example mentioned in the introduction points out the methodological aspects featured in the next paragraphs: Web data quality, Web infrastructures and services management and a Web Mining-based methodological approach.