Papers › vtreat: a data.frame Processor for Predictive Modeling

vtreat: a data.frame Processor for Predictive Modeling

29 Nov 2016arXiv:1611.09477links table onlyarchive 2025-07-28

Nina Zumel, John Mount

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We look at common problems found in data that is used for predictive modeling tasks, and describe how to address them with the vtreat R package. vtreat prepares real-world data for predictive modeling in a reproducible and statistically sound manner. We describe the theory of preparing variables so that data has fewer exceptional cases, making it easier to safely use models in production. Common problems dealt with include: infinite values, invalid values, NA, too many categorical levels, rare categorical levels, and new categorical levels (levels seen during application, but not during training). Of special interest are techniques needed to avoid needlessly introducing undesirable nested modeling bias (which is a risk when using a data-preprocessor).

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WinVector/pyvtreat mentioned on GitHub report
WinVector/vtreat mentioned on GitHub report
cran/vtreat mentioned on GitHub report

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