Streamlining machine learning operations with Python can be a game-changer for data scientists and engineers. By leveraging MLOps Python, you can automate and optimize your workflows, saving time and increasing productivity.
MLOps Python combines machine learning and DevOps to create a seamless development-to-production pipeline. This allows you to focus on building and deploying models, rather than worrying about the underlying infrastructure.
With MLOps Python, you can automate tasks such as data preprocessing, model training, and model deployment. For example, you can use tools like Apache Airflow to create workflows that run automatically, reducing the risk of human error.
Automating tasks with MLOps Python also enables you to version control your models, making it easier to track changes and collaborate with team members. By using tools like Git, you can keep a record of all changes made to your code and models.
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Prerequisites
To get started with MLOps in Python, you'll need to make sure you have the right prerequisites in place.
Python 3.12 or higher is required to take advantage of the latest features and performance improvements.
Poetry 1.8.2 or higher is necessary for initializing the project virtual environment and its dependencies.
To ensure you're using the correct versions, you can check your Python and Poetry versions with a simple command.
Installation
To kickstart your MLOps project, you'll need to follow the installation requirements. This involves running the project installation with poetry, as specified in the installation instructions.
The first step is to run the project installation with poetry. This will get your project up and running quickly.
Here's a step-by-step guide to help you through the process:
- Run the project installation with poetry
Next Steps
Now that you've got your MLOps pipeline set up, it's time to take it to the next level. You can integrate this package with your Databricks compute platform for seamless model deployment.
To further streamline your workflow, consider using AWS as your model registry. This will give you a centralized hub for tracking and managing your models.
Databricks and AWS offer a range of benefits for MLOps, including scalability and reliability. By leveraging these platforms, you can ensure your models are running smoothly and efficiently.
You can also experiment with other compute platforms to find the one that best suits your needs. The key is to find a balance between performance, cost, and ease of use.
Execution
During the development phase, you can execute the project code with poetry. This allows you to test and refine your project without worrying about deployment.
You can pass extra configs from the command line using the --extras flag. This is useful for customizing your project's behavior.
In production, you can build, ship, and run the project as a Python package. This involves passing several config files in the command-line to merge them from left to right.
The right job task will be selected automatically thanks to Pydantic Discriminated Unions. This makes it easier to manage complex projects with multiple tasks.
Here are some ways to pass extra configs in the command line:
- Using the --extras flag
- Passing several config files in the command-line to merge them from left to right
Automation
Automation is a crucial aspect of MLOps in Python, and it's essential to understand the various tools and techniques available to streamline your workflow.
You can invoke automation tasks from the command-line or VS Code extension, making it easy to repeat common actions.
Available tasks include running all check tasks with `checks.all`, checking codes with ruff using `checks.code`, and checking security with bandit using `checks.security`.
Automation can also be used to clean up tasks, such as cleaning the cache folder with `cleans.cache`, cleaning the coverage tool with `cleans.coverage`, and cleaning the project environment file with `cleans.environment`.
Machine learning lifecycle automation can be achieved using Git and Azure Pipelines, which can create a continuous integration process that trains a machine learning model.
The level of automation of the Data, ML Model, and Code pipelines determines the maturity of the ML process, and with increased maturity, the velocity for the training of new models is also increased.
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To implement automation principles, you can use guidelines such as the MLOps Levels by Google, which provide a framework for evaluating and choosing the right tools for your project.
Some popular tools for automation include DVC, which allows you to describe steps or stages in terms of inputs and outputs, and Azure Machine Learning pipelines, which can stitch together all the steps in your model training process.
Here are some common automation tasks:
- Running all check tasks: `checks.all`
- Checking codes with ruff: `checks.code`
- Checking security with bandit: `checks.security`
- Cleaning the cache folder: `cleans.cache`
- Cleaning the coverage tool: `cleans.coverage`
- Cleaning the project environment file: `cleans.environment`
These tasks can be invoked from the command-line or VS Code extension, making it easy to automate repetitive tasks and streamline your workflow.
Tools
Tools can be a game-changer for improving your coding experience. Pre-defined actions can automate your project development, making it easier and faster.
You can integrate many monitoring principles into your code using tools like pip, which allows you to log and visualize metrics in real-time during training and data processing. This can be especially useful for understanding how your model is performing and identifying areas for improvement.
For inference and model deployment, the choice of tool depends on the service or framework you're using. For example, AWS Lambda supports extensive logging to AWS CloudWatch, while Kubernetes often uses Prometheus for exporting metrics and Grafana for creating custom dashboards.
Take a look at this: Mlops Aws Architecture
Docker
Docker is an open-source platform that simplifies the deployment of software applications by packaging them into containers.
These containers act as lightweight, portable units that include everything needed to run the application across different environments.
Containers offer a streamlined way to isolate and deploy applications, ensuring they run consistently across various environments.
This isolation enhances portability and resource efficiency, making Docker an essential tool for modern software development.
To build a Docker image, create a Dockerfile in the project directory, and then run the command to build the image.
To run a Docker container, find the container ID or name of the running container using the command, and then stop it using the command.
Once a Docker image is built, it can be pushed to Docker Hub by listing all Docker images on the system, tagging the image with the desired repository and name, and then uploading the tagged image using the command.
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Evidently AI
Evidently AI is a useful tool for monitoring model performance and detecting data drift over time. It helps ensure that the model remains accurate and reliable.
Evidently AI provides detailed insights into how model performance evolves, which is crucial for maintaining model accuracy. This is especially important in production environments.
To use Evidently AI, you can install it with a specific command, and then run a file called monitor.ipynb to detect data quality and drifts.
Code and Configs
In the world of MLOps Python, code and configs are crucial components that work hand-in-hand. Code edition, validation, and versioning are essential for managing your project source code effectively.
You should separate the program implementation from the program configuration, a principle known as Soft Coding. This allows users to influence the execution behavior without code changes, making it easier to manage and maintain your codebase.
To expose configurations to users, you can store them in the `confs/` folder. This package seeks to expose as much parameter as possible to the users in configurations stored in the `confs/` folder.
Here are some key benefits of separating code and configs:
- Improved code maintainability
- Increased flexibility
- Enhanced user experience
Package
When you're working on your MLOps project, packaging your model is a crucial step. You can use the MLOps Python package, which contains a Python code base with best practices to support your MLOps initiatives.
This package leverages several tools and tips to make your MLOps experience as flexible, robust, and productive as possible. You can use it as part of your MLOps toolkit or platform.
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To deploy a model into production, you must first package it into a Docker image. In most cases, image creation automatically happens in the background during deployment. However, you can manually specify the image.
It's useful to deploy to your local development environment first so you can troubleshoot and debug before deploying to the cloud. This practice can help you avoid having problems with your deployment to Azure Machine Learning.
Here are some ways to get started with packaging your model:
- Use the MLOps Python package as a starting point for your MLOps toolkit or platform.
- Follow the MLOps Coding Course to learn how to create, develop, and maintain a state-of-the-art MLOps code base.
- Use the Cookiecutter MLOps Package to start building and deploying Python packages and Docker images for MLOps tasks.
Code
Managing your project's code is a crucial aspect of software development. You need to focus on edition, validation, and versioning of your project source code.
Version control systems like Git help you track changes and collaborate with team members. This makes it easier to identify and resolve conflicts.
Code validation is essential to ensure your code is correct and works as expected. Edition and validation are closely related, as you need to make changes to your code before validating it.
Code versioning allows you to keep a record of changes made to your code over time. This helps you identify which changes caused issues and revert back to a previous version if needed.
By following these best practices, you can maintain a clean and organized codebase that's easy to work with. This saves you time and reduces the likelihood of errors.
Configs
Configs are crucial for changing executions in your project. You can manage the config files in the confs/ folder to make this happen.
Exposing configurations to users allows them to influence the execution behavior without code changes. This is a good practice to follow.
You should store configurations in the confs/ folder, as mentioned earlier. This is where you can keep all your config files.
The package combines both OmegaConf and Pydantic to parse YAML files and validate them as soon as possible. This is a useful feature to know about.
Config files are where you can keep your program's settings. You can access them easily from there.
Version Control and Testing
Version control is a crucial aspect of machine learning operations (MLOps). Git is a popular version control system used for tracking changes in code, but it's not ideal for large binary files like datasets.
You can use DVC (Data Version Control) to manage large files, automate ML pipelines, and handle experiments. DVC addresses the limitations of Git by managing large files through metadata and external storage, while maintaining detailed tracking of data changes and version history.
One of the key benefits of DVC is its ability to integrate with Git or any source control management (SCM) tool to version and share the entire project, including data assets. This allows for secure collaboration and controlled access to project components.
For data validation, you can use open-source frameworks like Great Expectations or DeepChecks. These frameworks enable you to define expectations for your data, such as expected values or distributions, and then validate your data against these expectations.
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Testing is an essential aspect of MLOps, and it's not limited to traditional software engineering projects. In machine learning, testing involves validating the quality and integrity of your data, as well as the functionality of your models.
Here are some key aspects of testing in MLOps:
- Quantity and quality of input data
- Feature schema for the input data (expected range of values etc.)
- Data produced by your processing (transformation) jobs, as well as jobs themselves
- Compliance (e.g. GDPR) of your features and data pipelines
By incorporating testing into your MLOps workflow, you can ensure the robustness and reliability of your machine learning models and data pipelines.
ML Pipelines and Deployment
ML pipelines can be described using DVC, allowing you to define stages with inputs and outputs, and DVC can then determine which files have changed and which stages can be skipped.
To add a stage in DVC, you can use the following syntax: In our example, we use three stages: “prepare”, “train”, and “test”. Let’s add them now.
You can run the complete pipeline using the command: The dvc.lock file keeps track of the ML pipeline status, i.e., what steps have already been run and the outputs’ hashes.
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Azure Machine Learning can also be used to create reproducible machine learning pipelines by stitching together all the steps in your model training process. Some common pipeline steps include data preparation, feature extraction, hyperparameter tuning, and model evaluation.
The Machine Learning extension in Azure Pipelines makes it easier to work with Azure Pipelines, providing enhancements such as enabling Azure Machine Learning workspace selection when defining a service connection.
Next Steps
Now that you've set up your ML pipeline, it's time to integrate it into your MLOps platform.
You can use Databricks as your compute platform to run and manage your machine learning models.
AWS can also be used as your model registry to store and version your models.
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Execution
Execution is a crucial step in the ML pipeline, and it's where the project code comes alive. You can execute the project code with poetry during development.
In production, you can build, ship, and run the project as a Python package. You can pass extra configs from the command line using the --extras flag, which can be super helpful for tweaking settings without modifying the code.
You can also pass several config files in the command line to merge them from left to right, making it easy to combine different configurations. This approach is particularly useful when working with multiple teams or environments.
The right job task will be selected automatically thanks to Pydantic Discriminated Unions, which eliminates the need for manual configuration. This feature saves time and reduces the risk of human error.
Here's a quick rundown of the execution options:
ML Pipelines
ML Pipelines are a crucial aspect of machine learning, and they're what make it possible to automate the entire workflow from data preparation to model deployment.
In Azure Machine Learning, you can use pipelines to stitch together all the steps in your model training process, including data preparation, feature extraction, hyperparameter tuning, and model evaluation.
Machine learning pipeline steps can be cloned in the Azure Machine Learning studio Designer, allowing you to iterate over their design without losing your old versions.
To create an ML pipeline, you can use a framework like DVC, which allows you to describe steps or stages in terms of inputs and outputs, and can figure out which files have changed and which stages can be skipped.
Here's an example of how to add stages to an ML pipeline using DVC:
- `dvc stage add prepare`
- `dvc stage add train`
- `dvc stage add test`
You can also mark commands that output metrics or plots as such with `--plot` and `-m`, allowing you to diff these files across runs.
To run the complete pipeline, you can use `dvc run`.
Model Conversion and Optimization
Model conversion and optimization can greatly improve the performance of your machine learning models. Converting to Open Neural Network Exchange (ONNX) can double performance.
To convert your model to ONNX, you can use Azure Machine Learning. This format allows for faster deployment and execution.
You can also try creating and accelerating machine learning models using Azure Machine Learning. This might lead to further performance improvements.
For example, converting to ONNX can significantly speed up your models, making them more efficient and effective.
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Model Management
Model Management is a crucial aspect of MLOps Python, and Azure Machine Learning has got you covered. You can register, package, and deploy models using MLOps from anywhere.
A registered model is a logical container for one or more files that make up your model. You can register models that are trained outside of Azure Machine Learning, as long as they can be loaded using Python 3.5.2 or higher.
You can identify registered models by name and version, and the registry increments the version number whenever you register a model with the same name as an existing model. You can also provide metadata tags during registration and use these tags to search for a model.
Here are some key benefits of model registration:
- You can download or deploy the registered model and receive all the component files.
- You can't delete a registered model that's being used in an active deployment.
Capabilities
As you start to manage your models, you'll want to know what capabilities are available to make the process smoother. MLOps provides several key capabilities to streamline your machine learning process.
MLOps allows you to create reproducible machine learning pipelines to define repeatable and reusable steps for data preparation, training, and scoring processes.
With MLOps, you can create reusable software environments for training and deploying models, making it easier to work with different projects and datasets.
MLOps also enables you to register, package, and deploy models from anywhere, and track associated metadata required to use a model.
Here are some of the key MLOps capabilities in more detail:
- Create reproducible machine learning pipelines
- Create reusable software environments
- Register, package, and deploy models
- Log lineage data for machine learning lifecycle governance
- Notify and alert on machine learning lifecycle events
- Monitor operational and machine learning-related issues
- Automate the end-to-end machine learning lifecycle
By using these capabilities, you can ensure that your machine learning process is efficient, scalable, and reliable.
Model Registration
Model registration is a crucial step in model management. It allows you to store and version your models in your Azure Machine Learning workspace in the Azure cloud.
You can register models from anywhere, using MLOps. This makes it easy to organize and keep track of your trained models.
A registered model is a logical container for one or more files that make up your model. You can download or deploy the registered model and receive all the component files.
You can also register models that are trained outside of Azure Machine Learning. Azure Machine Learning supports any model that can be loaded by using Python 3.5.2 or higher.
To identify registered models, you use their name and version. Whenever you register a model with the same name as an existing model, the registry increments the version number.
You can provide metadata tags during registration and use these tags to search for a model. This is useful for keeping track of different versions of your model.
Here's a summary of the benefits of model registration:
- Stores and versions your models in the Azure cloud
- Organizes and keeps track of your trained models
- Saves component files
- Supports models trained outside of Azure Machine Learning
- Allows for easy identification and versioning of models
- Enables searching for models by metadata tags
Model Deployment
Model deployment is a crucial step in the MLOps pipeline. You can deploy trained machine learning models as endpoints locally or in the cloud using Azure Machine Learning.
To deploy a model as an endpoint, you need to provide the model used to score data, an entry script, an environment that describes the dependencies required by the model and entry script, and any other assets required by the model and entry script.
You can deploy models as endpoints using MLflow models, which don't require an entry script or environment for deployment. You also need to provide the configuration of the target deployment platform, such as the virtual machine family type, available memory, and number of cores.
Here are the key components required for model deployment:
- Model: The model used to score data submitted to the service or device.
- Entry script: A script that accepts requests, uses the model to score the data, and returns a response.
- Environment: Describes the dependencies required by the model and entry script.
- Assets: Any other assets required by the model and entry script.
It's also essential to monitor and troubleshoot your model deployments to ensure they are running smoothly and efficiently.
Model Registration and Deployment
Model registration is a crucial step in the deployment process. You can register models from anywhere, using MLOps, and store them in your Azure Machine Learning workspace in the cloud.
A registered model is a logical container for one or more files that make up your model. If your model is stored in multiple files, you can register the files as a single model in your Azure Machine Learning workspace. After registration, you can download or deploy the registered model and receive all the component files.
You can also register models that are trained outside of Azure Machine Learning, as long as they can be loaded using Python 3.5.2 or higher. This makes it easy to integrate models from different sources into your Azure Machine Learning workflow.
You identify registered models by name and version. Whenever you register a model with the same name as an existing model, the registry increments the version number. This helps you keep track of different versions of your models.
To make it easier to find specific models, you can provide metadata tags during registration. These tags can be used to search for a model, making it simpler to manage your model registry.
Here are the key benefits of registering your models:
- Easy model organization and tracking
- Version control for your models
- Metadata tags for easy searching
- Support for models trained outside of Azure Machine Learning
You can't delete a registered model that's being used in an active deployment. This ensures that your models are always available for use, even after deployment.
5 Model Deployment Mistakes
Model deployment can be a complex and nuanced process, and making mistakes can cost you dearly. Inference deployment requires careful observation, just like training.
You should be able to visualize and track every training experiment. This includes history of training metrics like accuracy, F1, training and validation loss, etc.
Utilization of CPU or GPU, RAM or disk used by your script during training should also be tracked. This will help you identify potential issues and optimize your model's performance.
Predictions on a holdout set, produced after the training phase, should be monitored. This will give you an idea of how well your model is performing on unseen data.
Initial and final weights of a model should also be tracked. This will help you understand how the model is changing during training.
Here are some common model deployment mistakes to watch out for:
- Not monitoring service-level metrics, such as request processing time and resource utilization.
- Not tracking model-level metrics, such as predictions and input data distribution.
- Not validating experiment tracking tools, such as accuracy and F1 scores.
- Not monitoring for changes in input data distribution, which can affect model performance.
- Not retraining the model when necessary, such as when input data distribution shifts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best language for MLOps?
For MLOps, Python is the top choice due to its vast library ecosystem, which includes tools for data preprocessing, model tuning, and visualization. This extensive support makes Python an ideal language for streamlining machine learning workflows.
Is MLOps better than DevOps?
MLOps builds upon DevOps by incorporating model and data tracking, making it a more comprehensive approach for managing machine learning model lifecycles. This added rigor enables more efficient and reliable model deployment and maintenance.
Can Python be used for ML?
Yes, Python is a popular choice for Machine Learning due to its ease of use and extensive libraries. With proper optimization, Python can efficiently handle ML tasks and deliver scalable results.
Sources
- https://github.com/fmind/mlops-python-package
- https://semaphoreci.com/blog/mlops
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/machine-learning/concept-model-management-and-deployment?view=azureml-api-2
- https://neptune.ai/blog/mlops-principles
- https://towardsdatascience.com/machine-learning-operations-mlops-for-beginners-a5686bfe02b2
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