ExtraTrees / Classifier Layer
Extremely Randomized Trees (ExtraTrees) Classifier: This class implements a meta estimator that fits a number of randomized decision trees (a.k.a. extra-trees) on various sub-samples of the dataset and uses averaging to improve the predictive accuracy and control over-fitting.
Mathematical form: where:
- are randomized trees
- M is number of trees
- Random splits replace optimal splits
Key characteristics:
- Extreme randomization
- Faster than Random Forest
- Lower variance
- Parallel processing
- Automatic feature selection
Common applications:
- Large-scale classification
- Rapid model development
- Feature importance
- Ensemble building
- Online prediction
Computational notes:
- Training: O(M * N * log(N)) or better
- Memory: O(M * N)
- Prediction: O(M * log(N))
- Parallel capable
Outputs:
- Predicted Table: Input data with predictions
- Validation Results: Cross-validation metrics
- Test Metric: Test set performance
- ROC Curve Data: ROC analysis information
- Confusion Matrix: Classification breakdown
- Feature Importances: Variable importance scores
SelectFeatures
[column, ...]Feature columns for ExtraTrees Classification:
Data requirements:
-
General format:
- Numeric features
- Encoded categoricals
- No missing values
- Clean data
-
Preprocessing notes:
- No scaling needed
- Handles raw features
- Robust to outliers
- Automatic feature selection
-
Feature quality:
- Remove constants
- Handle missing data
- Check correlations
- Consider feature counts
Note: If empty, uses all numeric columns except target
SelectTarget
columnTarget column for ExtraTrees Classification:
Requirements:
-
Data format:
- Categorical labels
- At least two classes
- No missing values
- Clean encoding
-
Class properties:
- Handles imbalance via weights
- Supports multi-class
- No ordinal assumptions
- Preserves class order
-
Quality checks:
- Verify encodings
- Check distributions
- Monitor rare classes
- Validate categories
Params
oneofDefault configuration for ExtraTrees Classifier:
-
Ensemble settings:
- N estimators: 100 trees
- Bootstrap: False
- Max samples: Auto
-
Tree parameters:
- Criterion: Gini
- Max depth: None (unlimited)
- Max features: Sqrt
- Min samples split: 2
- Min samples leaf: 1
-
Randomization:
- Random splits
- Random features
- No bootstrapping
-
Regularization:
- No explicit pruning
- Default class weights
- CCP alpha: 0.0
Best suited for:
- Initial modeling
- Fast training needs
- Medium to large datasets
- General classification
Fine-tuned configuration for ExtraTrees Classifier:
Parameter categories:
- Ensemble control
- Tree construction
- Randomization levels
- Regularization options
Note: Randomization parameters particularly important for ExtraTrees
NEstimators
u32Number of trees in forest:
Guidelines:
- Small (50-100): Quick models
- Medium (100-300): Standard use
- Large (>300): Complex problems
Trade-offs:
- More trees: Better stability
- Parallel training possible
- Diminishing returns
Criterion
enumSplit quality measures for extremely randomized trees:
Note: Applied after random split generation
Gini impurity criterion:
Formula:
Properties:
- Range: [0, 1-1/K]
- Fast computation
- Default choice
- Works with random splits
Information gain criterion:
Formula:
Properties:
- Range: [0, log(K)]
- More granular
- Slower computation
- Information theoretic
Logarithmic loss criterion:
Formula:
Properties:
- Probability focused
- Sensitive to uncertainties
- Good for probabilities
- Penalizes mistakes heavily
MaxDepth
u32The maximum depth of the tree. If None, then nodes are expanded until all leaves are pure or until all leaves contain less than min_samples_split samples.
Values:
- 0: Unlimited (grow until pure)
- >0: Explicit depth limit
Controls complexity and memory
The minimum number of samples required to split an internal node:
- Constraint: Nodes with < samples won't split
- Higher values: More conservative trees
- Prevents excessive randomization
The minimum number of samples required to be at a leaf node:
- Ensures prediction stability
- Controls overfitting
- Affects tree depth
The minimum weighted fraction of the sum total of weights (of all the input samples) required to be at a leaf node:
- Range: [0.0, 0.5]
- Used with sample weights
- Alternative size control
MaxFeatures
enumFeature subset size for random split generation:
Note: Critical for ExtraTrees randomization
Use all features:
Formula:
Properties:
- Maximum information
- Slower training
- Less randomization
- Good for few features
Square root of features:
Formula:
Properties:
- Standard choice
- Good default
- Balanced speed
- Common in practice
Logarithmic scaling:
Formula:
Properties:
- More aggressive reduction
- Fastest training
- Maximum randomization
- Good for many features
User-specified count:
Properties:
- Full control
- Problem-specific
- Manual optimization
- Research purposes
MaxFeaturesF
u32Custom feature count:
- Active when max_features=Custom
- Must be ≥ 1 and ≤ total features
MaxLeafNodes
u32Maximum leaf count:
- 0: Unlimited leaves
- >0: Best-first growth with limit
Alternative to max_depth
Minimum impurity decrease:
- Controls split quality
- Useful with random splits
- Pre-pruning mechanism
Bootstrap
boolWhether bootstrap samples are used when building trees.
- False: the whole dataset is used to build each tree
- True: Additional randomization
Affects OOB score availability
OobScore
boolWhether to use out-of-bag samples to estimate the generalization score.
- Requires bootstrap=True
- Provides validation estimate
RandomState
u64Random seed control:
Affects:
- Split generation
- Feature selection
- Bootstrap sampling
- Set for reproducibility
WarmStart
boolWhen set to True, reuse the solution of the previous call to fit and add more estimators to the ensemble, otherwise, just fit a whole new forest. Useful for optimization.
ClassWeight
enumClass weighting schemes for ExtraTrees:
Note: Affects all trees in ensemble
Equal class weights:
Properties:
- No bias adjustment
- Natural distributions
- Default behavior
- Fast computation
Inverse frequency weights:
Formula:
Properties:
- Handles imbalance
- Adjusts importance
- Fair to minorities
- Class-sensitive
CcpAlpha
f64Cost-complexity pruning:
- Post-pruning parameter
- Larger values: More pruning
- Controls tree complexity
MaxSamples
f64The fraction of samples to draw from X to train each base estimator:
- Range: [0.0, 1.0]
- 0.0: Auto (use all)
- Used with bootstrap=True
Hyperparameter optimization for ExtraTrees Classifier:
Search dimensions:
-
Ensemble parameters:
- Number of trees
- Sampling strategy
- Feature selection
-
Tree construction:
- Split criteria
- Tree depth
- Node constraints
-
Randomization:
- Bootstrap options
- Feature subsets
- Sample fractions
Computational impact:
- Time: O(n_params * n_trees * N * log(N))
- Memory: O(n_params * n_trees)
- Parallel training possible
Best practices:
- Start with randomization levels
- Then tune tree parameters
- Finally adjust ensemble size
NEstimators
[u32, ...]Number of trees to evaluate:
Common ranges:
- Quick: [50, 100]
- Standard: [100, 200, 300]
- Extensive: [200, 400, 600]
Note: More trees increase stability
Criterion
[enum, ...]Split quality measures for extremely randomized trees:
Note: Applied after random split generation
Gini impurity criterion:
Formula:
Properties:
- Range: [0, 1-1/K]
- Fast computation
- Default choice
- Works with random splits
Information gain criterion:
Formula:
Properties:
- Range: [0, log(K)]
- More granular
- Slower computation
- Information theoretic
Logarithmic loss criterion:
Formula:
Properties:
- Probability focused
- Sensitive to uncertainties
- Good for probabilities
- Penalizes mistakes heavily
MaxDepth
[u32, ...]Tree depth limits to try:
Ranges:
- Shallow: [5, 10, 15]
- Medium: [10, 20, 30]
- Deep/None: [0, 20, 40]
MinSamplesSplit
[u32, ...]Minimum split samples to try:
Common ranges:
- Fine: [2, 5, 10]
- Medium: [5, 10, 20]
- Coarse: [10, 20, 50]
MinSamplesLeaf
[u32, ...]Minimum leaf samples to evaluate:
Ranges:
- Fine: [1, 2, 4]
- Medium: [4, 8, 16]
- Coarse: [10, 20, 30]
MinWeightFractionLeaf
[f64, ...]Minimum weighted fraction to try:
Ranges:
- Light: [0.0, 0.1]
- Medium: [0.0, 0.1, 0.2]
- Heavy: [0.1, 0.2, 0.3]
MaxFeatures
[enum, ...]Feature subset size for random split generation:
Note: Critical for ExtraTrees randomization
Use all features:
Formula:
Properties:
- Maximum information
- Slower training
- Less randomization
- Good for few features
Square root of features:
Formula:
Properties:
- Standard choice
- Good default
- Balanced speed
- Common in practice
Logarithmic scaling:
Formula:
Properties:
- More aggressive reduction
- Fastest training
- Maximum randomization
- Good for many features
User-specified count:
Properties:
- Full control
- Problem-specific
- Manual optimization
- Research purposes
MaxFeaturesF
[u32, ...]Custom feature counts to try:
Only used with max_features=Custom Typical: [2, 4, 8, 16] or powers of 2
MaxLeafNodes
[u32, ...]Maximum leaf node counts:
Ranges:
- Limited: [10, 20, 50]
- Medium: [50, 100, 200]
- Unlimited: Include [0]
MinImpurityDecrease
[f64, ...]Impurity decrease thresholds:
Ranges:
- Fine: [0.0, 0.0001, 0.001]
- Medium: [0.0, 0.001, 0.01]
- Coarse: [0.01, 0.05, 0.1]
Bootstrap
[bool, ...]Bootstrap strategies:
Options:
- [false]: Standard ExtraTrees
- [true]: Additional randomization
- [false, true]: Compare both
OobScore
[bool, ...]OOB scoring options:
Options:
- [false]: No OOB
- [true]: Use OOB if possible Note: Requires bootstrap=True
WarmStart
[bool, ...]Warm start options:
Options:
- [false]: Fresh forests
- [true]: Incremental building
- [false, true]: Compare both
ClassWeight
[enum, ...]Class weighting schemes for ExtraTrees:
Note: Affects all trees in ensemble
Equal class weights:
Properties:
- No bias adjustment
- Natural distributions
- Default behavior
- Fast computation
Inverse frequency weights:
Formula:
Properties:
- Handles imbalance
- Adjusts importance
- Fair to minorities
- Class-sensitive
RandomState
u64Random seed for reproducibility:
Controls:
- Split generation
- Feature selection
- Cross-validation
CcpAlpha
[f64, ...]Cost-complexity pruning alphas:
Ranges:
- Light: [0.0, 0.001, 0.01]
- Medium: [0.0, 0.01, 0.05]
- Heavy: [0.05, 0.1, 0.2]
MaxSamples
[f64, ...]Sample size fractions:
Ranges:
- Small: [0.5, 0.7]
- Medium: [0.7, 0.8, 0.9]
- Large: [0.9, 1.0] Note: Used with bootstrap=True
RefitScore
enumPerformance evaluation metrics for classification:
Purpose:
- Model evaluation
- Ensemble selection
- Early stopping
- Performance tracking
Selection criteria:
- Problem objectives
- Class distribution
- Ensemble size
- Computation resources
Uses ensemble's built-in scoring:
Properties:
- Weighted accuracy metric
- Ensemble-aware scoring
- Fast computation
- Boosting-compatible
Best for:
- Standard problems
- Quick evaluation
- Initial testing
- Performance tracking
Standard classification accuracy:
Formula:
Properties:
- Range: [0, 1]
- Ensemble consensus
- Intuitive metric
- Equal error weights
Best for:
- Balanced datasets
- Equal error costs
- Simple evaluation
- Quick benchmarking
Class-normalized accuracy score:
Formula:
Properties:
- Range: [0, 1]
- Class-weighted
- Imbalance-robust
- Fair evaluation
Best for:
- Imbalanced data
- Varied class sizes
- Minority focus
- Fair assessment
Logarithmic loss (Cross-entropy):
Formula:
Properties:
- Range: [0, ∞)
- Probability-sensitive
- Boosting-optimal
- Confidence-aware
Best for:
- Probability estimation
- Boosting optimization
- Risk assessment
- Model calibration
Area Under ROC Curve:
Properties:
- Range: [0, 1]
- Ranking quality
- Threshold-invariant
- Ensemble-appropriate
Best for:
- Binary problems
- Ranking tasks
- Score calibration
- Model comparison
Note: Extended to multi-class via averaging
Split
oneofStandard train-test split configuration optimized for general classification tasks.
Configuration:
- Test size: 20% (0.2)
- Random seed: 98
- Shuffling: Enabled
- Stratification: Based on target distribution
Advantages:
- Preserves class distribution
- Provides reliable validation
- Suitable for most datasets
Best for:
- Medium to large datasets
- Independent observations
- Initial model evaluation
Splitting uses the ShuffleSplit strategy or StratifiedShuffleSplit strategy depending on the field stratified
. Note: If shuffle is false then stratified must be false.
Configurable train-test split parameters for specialized requirements. Allows fine-tuning of data division strategy for specific use cases or constraints.
Use cases:
- Time series data
- Grouped observations
- Specific train/test ratios
- Custom validation schemes
RandomState
u64Random seed for reproducible splits. Ensures:
- Consistent train/test sets
- Reproducible experiments
- Comparable model evaluations
Same seed guarantees identical splits across runs.
Shuffle
boolData shuffling before splitting. Effects:
- true: Randomizes order, better for i.i.d. data
- false: Maintains order, important for time series
When to disable:
- Time dependent data
- Sequential patterns
- Grouped observations
TrainSize
f64Proportion of data for training. Considerations:
- Larger (e.g., 0.8-0.9): Better model learning
- Smaller (e.g., 0.5-0.7): Better validation
Common splits:
- 0.8: Standard (80/20 split)
- 0.7: More validation emphasis
- 0.9: More training emphasis
Stratified
boolMaintain class distribution in splits. Important when:
- Classes are imbalanced
- Small classes present
- Representative splits needed
Requirements:
- Classification tasks only
- Cannot use with shuffle=false
- Sufficient samples per class
Cv
oneofStandard cross-validation configuration using stratified 3-fold splitting.
Configuration:
- Folds: 3
- Method: StratifiedKFold
- Stratification: Preserves class proportions
Advantages:
- Balanced evaluation
- Reasonable computation time
- Good for medium-sized datasets
Limitations:
- May be insufficient for small datasets
- Higher variance than larger fold counts
- May miss some data patterns
Configurable stratified k-fold cross-validation for specific validation requirements.
Features:
- Adjustable fold count with
NFolds
determining the number of splits. - Stratified sampling
- Preserved class distributions
Use cases:
- Small datasets (more folds)
- Large datasets (fewer folds)
- Detailed model evaluation
- Robust performance estimation
NFolds
u32Number of cross-validation folds. Guidelines:
- 3-5: Large datasets, faster training
- 5-10: Standard choice, good balance
- 10+: Small datasets, thorough evaluation
Trade-offs:
- More folds: Better evaluation, slower training
- Fewer folds: Faster training, higher variance
Must be at least 2.
K-fold cross-validation without stratification. Divides data into k consecutive folds for iterative validation.
Process:
- Splits data into k equal parts
- Each fold serves as validation once
- Remaining k-1 folds form training set
Use cases:
- Regression problems
- Large, balanced datasets
- When stratification unnecessary
- Continuous target variables
Limitations:
- May not preserve class distributions
- Less suitable for imbalanced data
- Can create biased splits with ordered data
NSplits
u32Number of folds for cross-validation. Selection guide: Recommended values:
- 5: Standard choice (default)
- 3: Large datasets/quick evaluation
- 10: Thorough evaluation/smaller datasets
Trade-offs:
- Higher values: More thorough, computationally expensive
- Lower values: Faster, potentially higher variance
Must be at least 2 for valid cross-validation.
RandomState
u64Random seed for fold generation when shuffling. Important for:
- Reproducible results
- Consistent fold assignments
- Benchmark comparisons
- Debugging and validation
Set specific value for reproducibility across runs.
Shuffle
boolWhether to shuffle data before splitting into folds. Effects:
- true: Randomized fold composition (recommended)
- false: Sequential splitting
Enable when:
- Data may have ordering
- Better fold independence needed
Disable for:
- Time series data
- Ordered observations
Stratified K-fold cross-validation maintaining class proportions across folds.
Key features:
- Preserves class distribution in each fold
- Handles imbalanced datasets
- Ensures representative splits
Best for:
- Classification problems
- Imbalanced class distributions
- When class proportions matter
Requirements:
- Classification tasks only
- Sufficient samples per class
- Categorical target variable
NSplits
u32Number of stratified folds. Guidelines: Typical values:
- 5: Standard for most cases
- 3: Quick evaluation/large datasets
- 10: Detailed evaluation/smaller datasets
Considerations:
- Must allow sufficient samples per class per fold
- Balance between stability and computation time
- Consider smallest class size when choosing
RandomState
u64Seed for reproducible stratified splits. Ensures:
- Consistent fold assignments
- Reproducible results
- Comparable experiments
- Systematic validation
Fixed seed guarantees identical stratified splits.
Shuffle
boolData shuffling before stratified splitting. Impact:
- true: Randomizes while maintaining stratification
- false: Maintains data order within strata
Use cases:
- true: Independent observations
- false: Grouped or sequential data
Class proportions maintained regardless of setting.
Random permutation cross-validator with independent sampling.
Characteristics:
- Random sampling for each split
- Independent train/test sets
- More flexible than K-fold
- Can have overlapping test sets
Advantages:
- Control over test size
- Fresh splits each iteration
- Good for large datasets
Limitations:
- Some samples might never be tested
- Others might be tested multiple times
- No guarantee of complete coverage
NSplits
u32Number of random splits to perform. Consider: Common values:
- 5: Standard evaluation
- 10: More thorough assessment
- 3: Quick estimates
Trade-offs:
- More splits: Better estimation, longer runtime
- Fewer splits: Faster, less stable estimates
Balance between computation and stability.
RandomState
u64Random seed for reproducible shuffling. Controls:
- Split randomization
- Sample selection
- Result reproducibility
Important for:
- Debugging
- Comparative studies
- Result verification
TestSize
f64Proportion of samples for test set. Guidelines: Common ratios:
- 0.2: Standard (80/20 split)
- 0.25: More validation emphasis
- 0.1: More training data
Considerations:
- Dataset size
- Model complexity
- Validation requirements
It must be between 0.0 and 1.0.
Stratified random permutation cross-validator combining shuffle-split with stratification.
Features:
- Maintains class proportions
- Random sampling within strata
- Independent splits
- Flexible test size
Ideal for:
- Imbalanced datasets
- Large-scale problems
- When class distributions matter
- Flexible validation schemes
NSplits
u32Number of stratified random splits. Guidelines: Recommended values:
- 5: Standard evaluation
- 10: Detailed analysis
- 3: Quick assessment
Consider:
- Sample size per class
- Computational resources
- Stability requirements
RandomState
u64Seed for reproducible stratified sampling. Ensures:
- Consistent class proportions
- Reproducible splits
- Comparable experiments
Critical for:
- Benchmarking
- Research studies
- Quality assurance
TestSize
f64Fraction of samples for stratified test set. Best practices: Common splits:
- 0.2: Balanced evaluation
- 0.3: More thorough testing
- 0.15: Preserve training size
Consider:
- Minority class size
- Overall dataset size
- Validation objectives
It must be between 0.0 and 1.0.
Time Series cross-validator. Provides train/test indices to split time series data samples that are observed at fixed time intervals, in train/test sets. It is a variation of k-fold which returns first k
folds as train set and the k + 1
th fold as test set. Note that unlike standard cross-validation methods, successive training sets are supersets of those that come before them. Also, it adds all surplus data to the first training partition, which is always used to train the model.
Key features:
- Maintains temporal dependence
- Expanding window approach
- Forward-chaining splits
- No future data leakage
Use cases:
- Sequential data
- Financial forecasting
- Temporal predictions
- Time-dependent patterns
Note: Training sets are supersets of previous iterations.
NSplits
u32Number of temporal splits. Considerations: Typical values:
- 5: Standard forward chaining
- 3: Limited historical data
- 10: Long time series
Impact:
- Affects training window growth
- Determines validation points
- Influences computational load
MaxTrainSize
u64Maximum size of training set. Should be strictly less than the number of samples. Applications:
- 0: Use all available past data
- >0: Rolling window of fixed size
Use cases:
- Limit historical relevance
- Control computational cost
- Handle concept drift
- Memory constraints
TestSize
u64Number of samples in each test set. When 0:
- Auto-calculated as n_samples/(n_splits+1)
- Ensures equal-sized test sets
Considerations:
- Forecast horizon
- Validation requirements
- Available future data
Gap
u64Number of samples to exclude from the end of each train set before the test set.Gap between train and test sets. Uses:
- Avoid data leakage
- Model forecast lag
- Buffer periods
Common scenarios:
- 0: Continuous prediction
- >0: Forward gap for realistic evaluation
- Match business forecasting needs