US Patent 7283928 Computerized method and software for data analysis

The computerized method for data analysis is a computerized method for identifying a causal relationship between at least one independent variable and a dependent variable in a set of data representing historical operating parameters of an industrial process. Data representing historical operating parameters of an industrial process is input into a computer system. A dependent variable and at least one independent variable are identified. A plurality of data sampling periods, such as days of operation, are identified for organization of the data. Dependent and independent variable data are collected from the historical data for each of the data sampling periods. Data sampling periods are ordered, according to the independent variable data, into distribution sets. Once the distribution sets have been arranged, average values are calculated for the dependent and independent variable data, and then graphed to relate the dependent variable data to the independent variable data.