When is it better to aggregate data before running ML training jobs?

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When is it better to aggregate data before running ML training jobs?

Asked on Nov 24, 2025

Answer

Aggregating data before running machine learning training jobs is beneficial when you aim to reduce noise, enhance model interpretability, or handle large datasets efficiently. This practice is often used in time series forecasting, customer segmentation, or when dealing with high-frequency data to ensure the model captures meaningful patterns rather than overfitting to noise.

Example Concept: Data aggregation involves summarizing detailed data into a more compact form, such as averaging, summing, or counting, to reduce dimensionality and highlight key trends. This technique is particularly useful in scenarios like time series analysis, where aggregating data by day, week, or month can reveal seasonal patterns and trends that are more predictive than raw, granular data. Aggregation can also improve computational efficiency by reducing the dataset size, making it more manageable for training models.

Additional Comment:

Aggregating data can help in reducing the impact of outliers and noise, leading to more robust models.
It is crucial to choose the right aggregation level to balance between data detail and model performance.
Consider the business context and the specific questions you aim to answer when deciding on aggregation strategies.
Aggregation should be aligned with the model's objective and the nature of the data to avoid losing critical information.

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