Do You Use Airflow for Machine Learning?

Machine learning pipeline orchestration tools, such as SageMaker and Kubeflow, streamline the end-to-end process of data ingestion, model training, deployment, and monitoring, with Kubeflow providing an open-source, cross-cloud platform built atop Kubernetes. Organizations typically choose between cloud-native managed services and open-source solutions based on required flexibility, scalability, integration with existing cloud environments, and vendor lock-in considerations.

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• Notes and resources at ocdevel.com/mlg/mla-20
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Dirk-Jan Verdoorn - Data Scientist at Dept Agency

Managed vs. Open-Source ML Pipeline Orchestration

• Cloud providers such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure offer managed machine learning orchestration solutions, including SageMaker (AWS) and Vertex AI (GCP).
• Managed services provide integrated environments that are easier to set up and operate but often result in vendor lock-in, limiting portability across cloud platforms.
• Open-source tools like Kubeflow extend Kubernetes to support end-to-end machine learning pipelines, enabling portability across AWS, GCP, Azure, or on-premises environments.

Introduction to Kubeflow

• Kubeflow is an open-source project aimed at making machine learning workflow deployment on Kubernetes simple, portable, and scalable.
• Kubeflow enables data scientists and ML engineers to build, orchestrate, and monitor pipelines using popular frameworks such as TensorFlow, scikit-learn, and PyTorch.
• Kubeflow can integrate with TensorFlow Extended (TFX) for complete end-to-end ML pipelines, covering data ingestion, preprocessing, model training, evaluation, and deployment.

Machine Learning Pipelines: Concepts and Motivation

• Production machine learning systems involve not just model training but also complex pipelines for data ingestion, feature engineering, validation, retraining, and monitoring.
• Pipelines automate retraining based on model performance drift or updated data, supporting continuous improvement and adaptation to changing data patterns.
• Scalable, orchestrated pipelines reduce manual overhead, improve reproducibility, and ensure that models remain accurate as underlying business conditions evolve.

Pipeline Orchestration Analogies and Advantages

• ML pipeline orchestration tools in machine learning fulfill a role similar to continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) in traditional software engineering.
• Pipelines enable automated retraining, modularization of pipeline steps (such as ingestion, feature transformation, and deployment), and robust monitoring.
• Adopting pipeline orchestrators, rather than maintaining standalone models, helps organizations handle multiple models and varied business use cases efficiently.

Choosing Between Managed and Open-Source Solutions

• Managed services (e.g., SageMaker, Vertex AI) offer streamlined user experiences and seamless integration but restrict cross-cloud flexibility.
• Kubeflow, as an open-source platform on Kubernetes, enables cross-platform deployment, integration with multiple ML frameworks, and minimizes dependency on a single cloud provider.
• The complexity of Kubernetes and Kubeflow setup is offset by significant flexibility and community-driven improvements.

Cross-Cloud and Local Development

• Kubeflow operates on any Kubernetes environment including AWS EKS, GCP GKE, and Azure AKS, as well as on-premises or local clusters.
• Local and cross-cloud development are facilitated in Kubeflow, while managed services like SageMaker and Vertex AI are better suited to cloud-native workflows.
• Debugging and development workflows can be challenging in highly secured cloud environments; Kubeflow’s local deployment flexibility addresses these hurdles.

Relationship to TensorFlow Extended (TFX) and Machine Learning Frameworks

• TensorFlow Extended (TFX) is an end-to-end platform for creating production ML pipelines, tightly integrated with Kubeflow for deployment and execution.
• While Kubeflow originally focused on TensorFlow, it has grown to support PyTorch, scikit-learn, and other major ML frameworks, offering wider applicability.
• TFX provides modular pipeline components (data ingestion, transformation, validation, model training, evaluation, and deployment) that execute within Kubeflow’s orchestration platform.

Alternative Pipeline Orchestration Tools

• Airflow is a general-purpose workflow orchestrator using DAGs, suited for data engineering and automation, but less resource-capable for heavy ML training within the pipeline.
  • Airflow often submits jobs to external compute resources (e.g., AI Platform) for resource-intensive workloads.
  • In organizations using both Kubeflow and Airflow, Airflow may handle data workflows, while Kubeflow is reserved for ML pipelines.
• MLflow and other solutions also exist, each with unique integrations and strengths; their adoption depends on use case requirements.

Selecting a Cloud Platform and Orchestration Approach

• The optimal choice of cloud platform and orchestration tool is typically guided by client needs, existing integrations (e.g., organizational use of Google or Microsoft solutions), and team expertise.
• Agencies with diverse client portfolios often benefit from open-source, cross-cloud tools like Kubeflow to maximize flexibility and knowledge sharing across projects.
• Users entrenched in a single cloud provider may prefer managed offerings for ease of use and integration, while those prioritizing portability and flexibility often choose open-source solutions.

Cost Optimization in Model Training

• Both AWS and GCP offer cost-saving compute options for training, such as spot instances (AWS) and preemptible instances (GCP), which are suitable for non-production, batch training jobs.
• Production workloads that require high uptime and reliability do not typically utilize cost-saving transient compute resources, as these can be interrupted.

Machine Learning Project Lifecycle Overview

• Project initiation begins with data discovery and validation of the client’s requirements against available data.
• Cloud environment selection is influenced by client infrastructure, business applications, and platform integrations rather than solely by technical features.
• Data cleaning, exploratory analysis, model prototyping, advanced model refinement, and deployment are handled collaboratively with data engineering and machine learning teams.
• The pipeline is gradually constructed in modular steps, facilitating scalable, automated retraining and integration with business applications.

Educational Pathways for Data Science and Machine Learning Careers

• Advanced mathematics or statistics education provides a strong foundation for work in data science and machine learning.
• Master’s degrees in data science add the most value for candidates from non-technical undergraduate backgrounds; those with backgrounds in statistics, mathematics, or computer science may benefit more from self-study or targeted upskilling.
• When evaluating online or accelerated degree programs, candidates should scrutinize the curriculum, instructor engagement, and peer interaction to ensure comprehensive learning.