Microsoft Data Mining was created to be part of the integrated Microsoft Business Intelligence strucutre.  Microsoft BI solutions use the familiar Microsoft Office products for end users, and on the back end (server side), software which may include SharePoint and SQL Server.

The items in the drop-down menu provide you with more information about Microsoft BI.

This diagram illustrates how data miing can work in a corporate environment that leverages SharePoint technology.

Many small and medium sized businesses, and some units within large businesses, do not use SharePoint.  Nevertheless, the key required technology is SQL Server.  This configuration works well for the majority of organizations.