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Propagate feature names in transform/fit_transform/inverse_transform - #8542

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NVIDIA:mainfrom
jcrist:propagate-feature-names
Sep 2, 2026
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Propagate feature names in transform/fit_transform/inverse_transform#8542
rapids-bot[bot] merged 3 commits into
NVIDIA:mainfrom
jcrist:propagate-feature-names

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@jcrist

@jcrist jcrist commented Sep 1, 2026

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This:

  • Adds a new column_names option to mlfunc for configuring how column names are attached to reflected outputs when outputting a DataFrame. This may be one of:
    • None: uses the default numeric column names. This is the default behavior.
    • "feature_names_out": uses the output of model.get_feature_names_out() as column names. This should be used for all transform/fit_transform methods.
    • "feature_names_in": uses feature_names_in_ as column names. This should be used for all inverse_transform methods.
  • Applies column_names and preserve_index consistently across all transformers (excluding cuml.feature_extraction, which still needs [TRACKER] Cleanup python estimator implementations #7317 first).
  • Adds a generic test to ensure this behavior is applied to our transformers consistently.

Fixes #5564.
Fixes #4036.
Fixes #8513.
Precursor for #5645.

This supports setting `column_names` on the output of a reflected
method. Valid options are `None` (the default), `"feature_names_in"` (to
use `model.feature_names_in_`), or `"feature_names_out"` (to use
`model.get_feature_names_out()`).
Also adds a generic test to ensure this behavior is configured properly.
@jcrist jcrist self-assigned this Sep 1, 2026
@jcrist
jcrist requested a review from a team as a code owner September 1, 2026 19:24
@jcrist jcrist added the improvement Improvement / enhancement to an existing function label Sep 1, 2026
@jcrist
jcrist requested a review from viclafargue September 1, 2026 19:24
@jcrist jcrist added the non-breaking Non-breaking change label Sep 1, 2026
@github-actions github-actions Bot added the Cython / Python Cython or Python issue label Sep 1, 2026
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  • python/cuml/cuml/internals/outputs.py
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📝 Summary

Summary by CodeRabbit

  • Enhancements

    • Improved pandas and cuDF output metadata across preprocessing, decomposition, manifold, clustering, encoding, and projection workflows.
    • Transformations now consistently preserve input indexes and provide meaningful output feature names.
    • Inverse transformations retain original input column names where available.
    • Automatically applies model-derived feature names to dataframe outputs, while preserving existing behavior for sparse outputs.
  • Tests

    • Added coverage for index and column-name preservation across supported estimators and input types.

Walkthrough

The PR extends mlfunc with feature-name assignment for pandas and cuDF outputs. Transformer decorators across cuML and sklearn-compatible methods now preserve indexes and assign input or generated feature names. Tests cover these behaviors.

Changes

DataFrame metadata propagation

Layer / File(s) Summary
mlfunc column-name support
python/cuml/cuml/internals/outputs.py
mlfunc accepts feature_names_in and feature_names_out modes, validates configuration, and assigns available feature names to pandas and cuDF outputs.
Transformer output metadata wiring
python/cuml/cuml/_thirdparty/sklearn/preprocessing/*, python/cuml/cuml/preprocessing/*, python/cuml/cuml/cluster/kmeans.pyx, python/cuml/cuml/decomposition/*, python/cuml/cuml/manifold/*, python/cuml/cuml/random_projection/*
Transformer methods preserve input indexes and request generated output names or fitted input names through mlfunc. Encoder inverse methods use decorator-based naming instead of manual column assignment.
Metadata compatibility validation
python/cuml/tests/test_reflection.py, python/cuml/tests/test_sklearn_compatibility.py
Tests validate feature-name generation, input-name preservation, default columns, NumPy conversion, sparse outputs, and dataframe metadata across supported estimators.

Estimated code review effort: 3 (Moderate) | ~25 minutes

Merge Risk: 🔵 Low · up to a47de

The PR improves DataFrame feature-name propagation across transformers, but FunctionTransformer outputs may still lack the intended feature names if its base classes do not provide get_feature_names_out. This is a bounded correctness issue requiring explicit owner awareness or follow-up before relying on the new metadata contract.

Suggested reviewers: viclafargue

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 5
✅ Passed checks (5 passed)
Check name Status Explanation
Linked Issues check ✅ Passed The changes satisfy issues [#5564] and [#8513] by preserving DataFrame indexes, attaching feature_names_out to forward transformations, attaching feature_names_in to inverse transformations, and addin…
Out of Scope Changes check ✅ Passed The modified implementation and tests remain within the stated scope of propagating DataFrame index and feature-name metadata across transformers. No unrelated changes are evident.
Docstring Coverage ✅ Passed Docstring coverage is 80.82% which is sufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 73 functions across 12 files.
Title check ✅ Passed The title clearly summarizes the main change: propagating feature names through transform, fit_transform, and inverse_transform outputs.
Description check ✅ Passed The description directly explains the new mlfunc column_names option, its application across transformers, the added tests, and the linked objectives.
Full details: Linked Issues check

Explanation

The changes satisfy issues [#5564] and [#8513] by preserving DataFrame indexes, attaching feature_names_out to forward transformations, attaching feature_names_in to inverse transformations, and adding generic compatibility tests.

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Actionable comments posted: 4

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Inline comments:
In `@python/cuml/cuml/_thirdparty/sklearn/preprocessing/_function_transformer.py`:
- Line 119: Implement a compatible get_feature_names_out method on
FunctionTransformer, using the transformer’s configured feature-name behavior
and input feature names to produce output names. Ensure pandas and cuDF outputs
handled by mlfunc receive these names instead of retaining numeric columns,
while preserving existing FunctionTransformer behavior.

In `@python/cuml/cuml/internals/outputs.py`:
- Around line 878-879: Update the feature_names_out branch in the output
handling logic to tolerate get_feature_names_out failures from valid child
transformers that only implement fit and transform. Add a capability fallback so
pandas and cuDF transformations continue with numeric column names, or gate
generated-name handling on all child transformers supporting feature names.
- Around line 757-761: Update the column_names docstring to document the
accepted values feature_names_in and feature_names_out, matching the
implementation, and close the missing literal around get_feature_names_out().
- Around line 874-876: In convert_arrays, restrict the column-name assignment
under the pandas/cuDF output branch to DataFrame results only, checking the
returned object before accessing or setting its columns. Leave sparse matrix
results unchanged so sparse PCA and ColumnTransformer conversions do not attempt
DataFrame-only attributes.
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📒 Files selected for processing (18)
  • python/cuml/cuml/_thirdparty/sklearn/preprocessing/_column_transformer.py
  • python/cuml/cuml/_thirdparty/sklearn/preprocessing/_data.py
  • python/cuml/cuml/_thirdparty/sklearn/preprocessing/_discretization.py
  • python/cuml/cuml/_thirdparty/sklearn/preprocessing/_function_transformer.py
  • python/cuml/cuml/_thirdparty/sklearn/preprocessing/_imputation.py
  • python/cuml/cuml/cluster/kmeans.pyx
  • python/cuml/cuml/decomposition/incremental_pca.py
  • python/cuml/cuml/decomposition/pca.pyx
  • python/cuml/cuml/decomposition/tsvd.pyx
  • python/cuml/cuml/internals/outputs.py
  • python/cuml/cuml/manifold/spectral_embedding.pyx
  • python/cuml/cuml/manifold/t_sne.pyx
  • python/cuml/cuml/manifold/umap/umap.pyx
  • python/cuml/cuml/preprocessing/_target_encoder.py
  • python/cuml/cuml/preprocessing/encoders.py
  • python/cuml/cuml/random_projection/random_projection.py
  • python/cuml/tests/test_reflection.py
  • python/cuml/tests/test_sklearn_compatibility.py

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@viclafargue viclafargue left a comment

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Thanks! LGTM

@jcrist

jcrist commented Sep 2, 2026

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/merge

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rapids-bot Bot merged commit 36b0a67 into NVIDIA:main Sep 2, 2026
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