Multiple factor analysis

Multiple factor analysis (MFA) is a factorial method devoted to the study of tables in which a group of individuals is described by a set of variables (quantitative and / or qualitative) structured in groups. It is a multivariate method from the field of ordination used to simplify multidimensional data structures. MFA treats all involved tables in the same way (symmetrical analysis). It may be seen as an extension of:

• Principal component analysis (PCA) when variables are quantitative,
• Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) when variables are qualitative,
• Factor analysis of mixed data (FAMD) when the active variables belong to the two types.