The text summarizes an article about pandas Copy-on-Write (CoW) mode. The article explains the impact of the introduction of CoW on existing pandas code and provides guidance on how to adapt code to avoid errors. It discusses topics such as chained assignment, patterns to avoid, accessing the underlying NumPy array, and concludes by stating that the upgrade process should be smooth if these patterns are avoided.
Review: Deep Dive into Pandas Copy-on-Write Mode — Part III
This article provides an in-depth exploration of the migration path for Copy-on-Write (CoW) in pandas. It focuses on explaining the impact of CoW on existing pandas code and offers guidance on how to adapt code to avoid errors when CoW becomes enabled by default in future releases.
The article begins by highlighting the introduction of CoW as a breaking change and discusses its implications for pandas code. It mentions the planned inclusion of a warning mode to notify users of operations that will change behavior with CoW. The article emphasizes the need to adapt code to avoid changes in behavior and provides insights into common cases.
One key area the article addresses is chained assignment, a technique where an object is updated through subsequent operations. It explains that under CoW, such combinations of operations will raise a ChainedAssignmentError warning, and recommends using the loc method as an alternative. The article demonstrates how to use loc to select subsets of rows and columns for value assignment, highlighting its performance benefits over chained assignment.
Furthermore, the article discusses the impact of CoW on chained inplace operations. It suggests specifying the columns to operate on as a solution to avoid errors and demonstrates this using the replace method. It goes on to explain the importance of avoiding unnecessary references created when multiple objects share the same data, recommending reassigning to the same variable to invalidate the reference held by the object.
The article also touches on accessing the underlying NumPy array in pandas. It explains that while to_numpy or .values methods return a copy of the array, accessing the array directly can provide a view of the data. However, accessing the array as a view can complicate matters with CoW, as more DataFrames will share memory with each other. Thus, the article advises caution when modifying the array inplace and suggests manually triggering a copy or making the array writeable if necessary.
In conclusion, this article offers a comprehensive overview of the most significant changes related to Copy-on-Write in pandas. It provides well-explained guidance on how to adapt code to avoid issues when CoW becomes the default behavior. The article is well-written and informative, making it a valuable resource for pandas users preparing for the upcoming changes in pandas 3.0.
Action Items:
1. Implement a warning mode for operations that will change behavior with Copy-on-Write (CoW) in pandas 3.0 release. Assign this task to the development team.
2. Remove chained assignment patterns and replace them with the loc function. Update relevant code snippets and documentation. Assign this task to the data engineering team.
3. Remove chained inplace operations patterns and specify the columns to operate on instead. Update relevant code snippets and documentation. Assign this task to the data engineering team.
4. Educate developers on the potential impact of creating multiple references in the same method and the benefits of using temporary references when chaining methods. Conduct a training session for the development team.
5. Inform developers about the read-only nature of arrays returned by to_numpy and .values functions. Update relevant documentation and provide examples on how to trigger a copy manually or make the array writeable. Assign this task to the data engineering team.
6. Review and update code that accesses single columns backed by PyArrow arrays. If possible, adjust code to make the NumPy array writeable. Otherwise, document and communicate the limitations of accessing such columns. Assign this task to the data engineering team.
List of Useful Links:
- AI Scrum Bot – ask about AI scrum and agile
- Deep dive into pandas Copy-on-Write mode — part III
- Towards Data Science – Medium
- Twitter – @itinaicom
