Conclusion

Data mining is based around data.
The better the data, the better the potential mining.
Data mining can be used for a lot of things, but a wise manager will use it to help him analyse data.
There are a range of machine learning techniques that can be used in data mining.
However, there is rarely a panacea.
Data mining tools can be useful, but they can easily be misused.
The application, data, and technique really needs to be understood to see how effective a solution is.