Feature Processing Recipes for Machine Learning Services

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Solution Overview

Problem

Business organizations face barriers in utilizing machine learning due to the requirement of statistical and AI expertise, computational intensity, and challenges in handling large datasets, especially for infrequent but significant events like financial fraud detection, where traditional machine learning environments lack optimal data transformation mechanisms.

Innovation Solution

A customizable machine learning service (MLS) with programmatic interfaces guides non-expert users through machine learning best practices, allowing default settings and enabling expert customization, featuring a recipe language for data transformations, asynchronous job scheduling, and secure, scalable processing plans across a provider network with distributed computing resources.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If machine learning models are built using traditional methods, then predictive accuracy can be achieved, but the requirement for statistical and AI expertise creates a high barrier for business analysts and subject matter experts

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveEase of using machine learningVSAvoidComplexity of machine learning expertise requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an automated machine learning service that acts as an intermediary between business analysts and complex ML algorithms. The service includes automated data preprocessing, feature engineering, model selection, and hyperparameter tuning components that translate business requirements into ML models without requiring users to have statistical or AI expertise. This mediator handles the complexity internally while providing simple interfaces to users.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service machine learning by automatically performing tasks that traditionally required expert intervention. The automated ML service autonomously conducts data exploration, selects appropriate algorithms, optimizes parameters, and generates models based on user-provided business objectives and data, allowing non-experts to independently build and deploy ML solutions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Measurement precision

If machine learning techniques are applied to large datasets, then accurate predictions can be made, but the computational intensity requires significant computing power that may not be available to business organizations

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovePrediction accuracyVSAvoidComputational resource requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements automated data sampling and feature selection techniques that process only the most relevant portions of large datasets. By identifying and focusing on key features and representative data subsets, the system achieves accurate predictions with reduced computational requirements, avoiding the need to process entire massive datasets in detail.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The automated ML service dynamically adjusts computational parameters such as sample size, feature dimensionality, model complexity, and processing depth based on data characteristics and prediction requirements. This adaptive parameter adjustment allows the system to optimize the balance between prediction accuracy and computational resource consumption for different business scenarios.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If transformations are applied to input data variables in traditional machine learning environments, then data quality improves, but the mechanisms available are less than optimal and require tedious manual work

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveData qualityVSAvoidData transformation efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary automated data transformations and preprocessing steps before model training. This includes automatic data cleaning, normalization, feature engineering, and validation procedures that are executed upfront based on data exploration results, eliminating the need for iterative manual transformation adjustments and improving both data quality and processing efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9886670B2Feature processing recipes for machine learning
Publication Date: 2018.02.06 AMAZON TECH INC
  • US9886670B2 patent drawing
  • US9886670B2 patent drawing
  • US9886670B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A first representation of a feature processing recipe is received at a machine learning service. The recipe includes a section in which groups of variables on which common transformations are to be applied are defined, and a section in which a set of transformation operations are specified. The first representation of the recipe is validated based at least in part on a library of function definitions supported by the service, and an executable version of the recipe is generated. In response to a determination that the recipe is to be executed on a particular data set, a set of provider network resources is used to implement a transformation operation indicated in the recipe.