“The future is like a corridor into which we can see only by the light coming from behind”, well said by Edward Weyer Jr.. Like that, to analyze anything, the first step is to collect relevant data and develop predictive score for each element, the second step is to assess these predictive score and then implement it into a model. Finally prediction and conclusion can be made accordingly. The book, Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die by Eric Siegel explains how predictive and other insights associated with predictive analysis work.
Please go through the link for more details:
http://www.amazon.com/Predictive-Analytics-Power-Predict-Click/dp/1118356853