{"id":6067,"date":"2018-01-29T15:12:25","date_gmt":"2018-01-29T20:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/?p=6067"},"modified":"2018-03-16T12:53:53","modified_gmt":"2018-03-16T16:53:53","slug":"how-to-make-your-own-powerful-machine-learning-forecasting-models-for-free-without-coding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/2018\/01\/29\/how-to-make-your-own-powerful-machine-learning-forecasting-models-for-free-without-coding\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Use Microsoft Azure"},"content":{"rendered":"

If, like me, you work in a small to medium sized enterprise where forecasting is still done with pen and paper, you\u2019d be forgiven for thinking that Machine Learning is the exclusive preserve of big budget corporations. If you thought that, then get ready for a surprise. Not only are advanced data science tools largely accessible to the average user, you can also access them without paying a bean.<\/u> <\/strong><\/p>\n

If this sounds too good to be true, let me prove it to you with a quick tutorial that will show you just how easy it is to make and deploy a predictive webservice using Microsoft\u2019s Azure Machine Learning (ML) Studio, using real-world (anonymised) data.<\/p>\n

What is Azure ML?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

To most people the words \u2018Microsoft Azure\u2019 conjure up vague ideas of cloud computing and TV adverts with bearded-hipsters working in designer industrial lofts, and yet, in my opinion, the Azure Machine Learning Studio is one of the more powerful and leading predictive modelling tools available on the market. And again, its free.\u00a0 What\u2019s more, because it has a graphical user interface, you don\u2019t need any advanced coding or mathematical skills to use it. It\u2019s all click and drag. In fact, it is entirely possible to build a machine learning model from beginning to end without typing a single line of code. How\u2019s that for a piece of gold?<\/p>\n

You can make a free account or sign in as a guest here – https:\/\/studio.azureml.net\u00a0<\/a>The free account or guest sign-in to the Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio gives you complete access to their easy-to-use drag and drop graphical user interface that allows you to build, test, and deploy predictive analytics solutions.\u00a0 You don\u2019t need much more.<\/p>\n

Microsoft Azure Tutorial Time!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I promised you a quick tutorial on how to make a forecast that drives purchasing and other planning decisions in Azure ML, and a quick tutorial you shall have.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re still with me, here are a couple of resources to help you get rolling:<\/p>\n

A great hands on lab:<\/strong> https:\/\/github.com\/Azure-Readiness\/hol-azure-machine-learning<\/a><\/p>\n

Edx courses you can access for free:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.edx.org\/course\/principles-machine-learning-microsoft-dat203-2x-6<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.edx.org\/course\/data-science-essentials-microsoft-dat203-1x-6<\/a><\/p>\n

Having pointed you in the direction of more expansive and detailed resources, it\u2019s time to get into this quick demo. Here are the basic steps we\u2019ll go through:<\/p>\n