Schema Inferencing should happen at apply time

sdk/python/feast/data_source.py

@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
 
 
 import enum
-import re
 from typing import Callable, Dict, Iterable, Optional, Tuple
 
 from pyarrow.parquet import ParquetFile
@@ -371,7 +370,7 @@ class DataSource:
 
     def __init__(
         self,
-        event_timestamp_column: str,
+        event_timestamp_column: Optional[str] = "",
         created_timestamp_column: Optional[str] = "",
         field_mapping: Optional[Dict[str, str]] = None,
         date_partition_column: Optional[str] = "",
@@ -520,45 +519,11 @@ def to_proto(self) -> DataSourceProto:
         """
         raise NotImplementedError
 
-    def _infer_event_timestamp_column(self, ts_column_type_regex_pattern):
-        ERROR_MSG_PREFIX = "Unable to infer DataSource event_timestamp_column"
-        USER_GUIDANCE = "Please specify event_timestamp_column explicitly."
-
-        if isinstance(self, FileSource) or isinstance(self, BigQuerySource):
-            event_timestamp_column, matched_flag = None, False
-            for col_name, col_datatype in self.get_table_column_names_and_types():
-                if re.match(ts_column_type_regex_pattern, col_datatype):
-                    if matched_flag:
-                        raise TypeError(
-                            f"""
-                            {ERROR_MSG_PREFIX} due to multiple possible columns satisfying
-                            the criteria. {USER_GUIDANCE}
-                            """
-                        )
-                    matched_flag = True
-                    event_timestamp_column = col_name
-            if matched_flag:
-                return event_timestamp_column
-            else:
-                raise TypeError(
-                    f"""
-                    {ERROR_MSG_PREFIX} due to an absence of columns that satisfy the criteria.
-                     {USER_GUIDANCE}
-                    """
-                )
-        else:
-            raise TypeError(
-                f"""
-                {ERROR_MSG_PREFIX} because this DataSource currently does not support this inference.
-                 {USER_GUIDANCE}
-                """
-            )
-
 
 class FileSource(DataSource):
     def __init__(
         self,
-        event_timestamp_column: Optional[str] = None,
+        event_timestamp_column: Optional[str] = "",
         file_url: Optional[str] = None,
         path: Optional[str] = None,
         file_format: FileFormat = None,
@@ -598,7 +563,7 @@ def __init__(
         self._file_options = FileOptions(file_format=file_format, file_url=file_url)
 
         super().__init__(
-            event_timestamp_column or self._infer_event_timestamp_column(r"^timestamp"),
+            event_timestamp_column,
             created_timestamp_column,
             field_mapping,
             date_partition_column,
@@ -662,7 +627,7 @@ def get_table_column_names_and_types(self) -> Iterable[Tuple[str, str]]:
 class BigQuerySource(DataSource):
     def __init__(
         self,
-        event_timestamp_column: Optional[str] = None,
+        event_timestamp_column: Optional[str] = "",
         table_ref: Optional[str] = None,
         created_timestamp_column: Optional[str] = "",
         field_mapping: Optional[Dict[str, str]] = None,
@@ -672,8 +637,7 @@ def __init__(
         self._bigquery_options = BigQueryOptions(table_ref=table_ref, query=query)
 
         super().__init__(
-            event_timestamp_column
-            or self._infer_event_timestamp_column("TIMESTAMP|DATETIME"),
+            event_timestamp_column,
             created_timestamp_column,
             field_mapping,
             date_partition_column,
@@ -743,20 +707,12 @@ def get_table_column_names_and_types(self) -> Iterable[Tuple[str, str]]:
         from google.cloud import bigquery
 
         client = bigquery.Client()
-        name_type_pairs = []
         if self.table_ref is not None:
-            project_id, dataset_id, table_id = self.table_ref.split(".")
-            bq_columns_query = f"""
-                SELECT COLUMN_NAME, DATA_TYPE FROM {project_id}.{dataset_id}.INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS
-                WHERE TABLE_NAME = '{table_id}'
-            """
-            table_schema = (
-                client.query(bq_columns_query).result().to_dataframe_iterable()
-            )
-            for df in table_schema:
-                name_type_pairs.extend(
-                    list(zip(df["COLUMN_NAME"].to_list(), df["DATA_TYPE"].to_list()))
-                )
+            table_schema = client.get_table(self.table_ref).schema
+            if not isinstance(table_schema[0], bigquery.schema.SchemaField):
+                raise TypeError("Could not parse BigQuery table schema.")
+
+            name_type_pairs = [(field.name, field.field_type) for field in table_schema]
         else:
             bq_columns_query = f"SELECT * FROM ({self.query}) LIMIT 1"
             queryRes = client.query(bq_columns_query).result()

sdk/python/feast/errors.py

@@ -94,3 +94,11 @@ def __init__(
             f"The DataFrame from {source} being materialized must have at least {join_key_columns} columns present, "
             f"but these were missing: {join_key_columns - source_columns} "
         )
+
+
+class RegistryInferenceFailure(Exception):
+    def __init__(self, repo_obj_type: str, specific_issue: str):
+        super().__init__(
+            f"Inference to fill in missing information for {repo_obj_type} failed. {specific_issue}. "
+            "Try filling the information explicitly."
+        )

sdk/python/feast/feature_store.py

@@ -26,7 +26,10 @@
 from feast.entity import Entity
 from feast.errors import FeastProviderLoginError, FeatureViewNotFoundException
 from feast.feature_view import FeatureView
-from feast.inference import infer_entity_value_type_from_feature_views
+from feast.inference import (
+    infer_entity_value_type_from_feature_views,
+    update_data_sources_with_inferred_event_timestamp_col,
+)
 from feast.infra.provider import Provider, RetrievalJob, get_provider
 from feast.online_response import OnlineResponse, _infer_online_entity_rows
 from feast.protos.feast.serving.ServingService_pb2 import (
@@ -224,6 +227,11 @@ def apply(
         entities_to_update = infer_entity_value_type_from_feature_views(
             [ob for ob in objects if isinstance(ob, Entity)], views_to_update
         )
+        update_data_sources_with_inferred_event_timestamp_col(
+            [view.input for view in views_to_update]
+        )
+        for view in views_to_update:
+            view.infer_features_from_input_source()
 
         if len(views_to_update) + len(entities_to_update) != len(objects):
             raise ValueError("Unknown object type provided as part of apply() call")

sdk/python/feast/feature_view.py

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 
 from feast import utils
 from feast.data_source import BigQuerySource, DataSource, FileSource
+from feast.errors import RegistryInferenceFailure
 from feast.feature import Feature
 from feast.protos.feast.core.FeatureView_pb2 import FeatureView as FeatureViewProto
 from feast.protos.feast.core.FeatureView_pb2 import (
@@ -64,29 +65,6 @@ def __init__(
         tags: Optional[Dict[str, str]] = None,
         online: bool = True,
     ):
-        if not features:
-            features = []  # to handle python's mutable default arguments
-            columns_to_exclude = {
-                input.event_timestamp_column,
-                input.created_timestamp_column,
-            } | set(entities)
-
-            for col_name, col_datatype in input.get_table_column_names_and_types():
-                if col_name not in columns_to_exclude and not re.match(
-                    "^__|__$", col_name
-                ):
-                    features.append(
-                        Feature(
-                            col_name,
-                            input.source_datatype_to_feast_value_type()(col_datatype),
-                        )
-                    )
-
-            if not features:
-                raise ValueError(
-                    f"Could not infer Features for the FeatureView named {name}. Please specify Features explicitly for this FeatureView."
-                )
-
         cols = [entity for entity in entities] + [feat.name for feat in features]
         for col in cols:
             if input.field_mapping is not None and col in input.field_mapping.keys():
@@ -241,3 +219,35 @@ def most_recent_end_time(self) -> Optional[datetime]:
         if len(self.materialization_intervals) == 0:
             return None
         return max([interval[1] for interval in self.materialization_intervals])
+
+    def infer_features_from_input_source(self):
+        if not self.features:
+            columns_to_exclude = {
+                self.input.event_timestamp_column,
+                self.input.created_timestamp_column,
+            } | set(self.entities)
+
+            for col_name, col_datatype in self.input.get_table_column_names_and_types():
+                if col_name not in columns_to_exclude and not re.match(
+                    "^__|__$",
+                    col_name,  # double underscores often signal an internal-use column
+                ):
+                    feature_name = (
+                        self.input.field_mapping[col_name]
+                        if col_name in self.input.field_mapping.keys()
+                        else col_name
+                    )
+                    self.features.append(
+                        Feature(
+                            feature_name,
+                            self.input.source_datatype_to_feast_value_type()(
+                                col_datatype
+                            ),
+                        )
+                    )
+
+            if not self.features:
+                raise RegistryInferenceFailure(
+                    "FeatureView",
+                    f"Could not infer Features for the FeatureView named {self.name}.",
+                )

sdk/python/feast/inference.py

@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
-from typing import List
+import re
+from typing import List, Union
 
 from feast import Entity
+from feast.data_source import BigQuerySource, FileSource
+from feast.errors import RegistryInferenceFailure
 from feast.feature_view import FeatureView
 from feast.value_type import ValueType
 
@@ -45,12 +48,70 @@ def infer_entity_value_type_from_feature_views(
                     entity.value_type != ValueType.UNKNOWN
                     and entity.value_type != inferred_value_type
                 ) or (len(extracted_entity_name_type_pairs) > 1):
-                    raise ValueError(
+                    raise RegistryInferenceFailure(
+                        "Entity",
                         f"""Entity value_type inference failed for {entity_name} entity.
-                        Multiple viable matches. Please explicitly specify the entity value_type
-                        for this entity."""
+                        Multiple viable matches.
+                        """,
                     )
 
                 entity.value_type = inferred_value_type
 
     return entities
+
+
+def update_data_sources_with_inferred_event_timestamp_col(
+    data_sources: List[Union[BigQuerySource, FileSource]],
+) -> None:
+    ERROR_MSG_PREFIX = "Unable to infer DataSource event_timestamp_column"
+
+    for data_source in data_sources:
+        if (
+            data_source.event_timestamp_column is None
+            or data_source.event_timestamp_column == ""
+        ):
+            # prepare right match pattern for data source
+            ts_column_type_regex_pattern = ""
+            if isinstance(data_source, FileSource):
+                ts_column_type_regex_pattern = r"^timestamp"
+            elif isinstance(data_source, BigQuerySource):
+                ts_column_type_regex_pattern = "TIMESTAMP|DATETIME"
+            else:
+                raise RegistryInferenceFailure(
+                    "DataSource",
+                    """
+                    DataSource inferencing of event_timestamp_column is currently only supported
+                    for FileSource and BigQuerySource.
+                    """,
+                )
+            #  for informing the type checker
+            assert isinstance(data_source, FileSource) or isinstance(
+                data_source, BigQuerySource
+            )
+
+            # loop through table columns to find singular match
+            event_timestamp_column, matched_flag = None, False
+            for (
+                col_name,
+                col_datatype,
+            ) in data_source.get_table_column_names_and_types():
+                if re.match(ts_column_type_regex_pattern, col_datatype):
+                    if matched_flag:
+                        raise RegistryInferenceFailure(
+                            "DataSource",
+                            f"""
+                            {ERROR_MSG_PREFIX} due to multiple possible columns satisfying
+                            the criteria. {ts_column_type_regex_pattern} {col_name}
+                            """,
+                        )
+                    matched_flag = True
+                    event_timestamp_column = col_name
+            if matched_flag:
+                data_source.event_timestamp_column = event_timestamp_column
+            else:
+                raise RegistryInferenceFailure(
+                    "DataSource",
+                    f"""
+                    {ERROR_MSG_PREFIX} due to an absence of columns that satisfy the criteria.
+                    """,
+                )

sdk/python/feast/repo_operations.py

@@ -13,7 +13,10 @@
 
 from feast import Entity, FeatureTable
 from feast.feature_view import FeatureView
-from feast.inference import infer_entity_value_type_from_feature_views
+from feast.inference import (
+    infer_entity_value_type_from_feature_views,
+    update_data_sources_with_inferred_event_timestamp_col,
+)
 from feast.infra.offline_stores.helpers import assert_offline_store_supports_data_source
 from feast.infra.provider import get_provider
 from feast.names import adjectives, animals
@@ -136,6 +139,7 @@ def apply_total(repo_config: RepoConfig, repo_path: Path):
         ),
         feature_views=repo.feature_views,
     )
+
     sys.dont_write_bytecode = False
     for entity in repo.entities:
         registry.apply_entity(entity, project=project)
@@ -156,6 +160,10 @@ def apply_total(repo_config: RepoConfig, repo_path: Path):
             repo_config.offline_store, data_source
         )
 
+    update_data_sources_with_inferred_event_timestamp_col(data_sources)
+    for view in repo.feature_views:
+        view.infer_features_from_input_source()
+
     tables_to_delete = []
     for registry_table in registry.list_feature_tables(project=project):
         if registry_table.name not in repo_table_names: