This document provides an overview of data mining concepts and techniques. It discusses why data mining is useful given the massive amount of data being collected. Data mining involves extracting patterns from large datasets and can be used for applications like market analysis, risk analysis, and fraud detection. The document outlines the key steps in the knowledge discovery process including data preprocessing, data mining, and pattern evaluation. It also describes different types of patterns that can be mined, such as associations, classifications, and clusters. Factors that determine whether patterns are interesting to users are discussed. Finally, the document introduces the concept of a data mining query language to allow interactive exploration of patterns.