The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for processing
entries stored in an electronic database where each entry comprises a
succession of data values of correlated variables. The entries are
processed in order to provide predictions of future data values of the
correlated variables. The invention has particular application to
processing data entries that relate to customers of a bank or retail
business so as to predict future data values of attributes of the
customers. A prior distribution over the parameters of a first of the
variables is accessed from the database and data values of the first
variable are used to derive a posterior distribution of the parameters of
the first variable. A prior distribution over the parameters of a second
of the variables is accessed from the database, the second of the
variables being correlated with the first. Data values of the second
variable are accessed to derive a posterior distribution of the parameters
of the second variable. A statistical sampler samples the parameters of
each posterior distribution to provide estimates of the parameters of the
posterior distributions. Predictive distributions of the first and second
variables are computed from the estimates. Predicted data values for the
first and second correlated variables are then formulated from the
predictive distributions and known values for the variables.
