Description: The encoding method is a specific technique used to transform data into a format that is more suitable for analysis and processing. This process involves assigning numerical or categorical values to qualitative data, thereby facilitating its manipulation and statistical analysis. Encoding is essential in data preprocessing, as it allows converting textual or categorical information into a format that machine learning algorithms can interpret. There are different types of encoding, such as one-hot encoding, which creates binary variables for each category, and ordinal encoding, which assigns numerical values to categories with an inherent order. The choice of the appropriate encoding method depends on the type of data and the analysis to be performed. In summary, the encoding method is a fundamental tool in data preprocessing, as it enhances the quality and utility of data for subsequent analysis.
