Patterns of activity by an employer are crucial in determining whether an aggrieved party has a case. What types of activities happen consistently that demonstrate what an employer does or doesn’t do in hiring, promotions, training, and assignments made to staff? Patterns of activities, likelihoods associated with differential treatment of subgroups of employees, and examination of mitigating factors (education, previous experience, externalities like a tightening of the labor pool in a specific market) are all part of a careful analysis package.