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2. Register Tables

Our catalog is created and we can start registering tables in it.


Step 1: Select Data

We'll work with the following seven source tables of our Loan Applications Dataset:

Table Description
NEW_APPLICATION Contains information about new loan applications submitted by clients.
CLIENT_PROFILE Describes the profile for each client.
BUREAU Lists credits taken by clients from other financial institutions, as reported to the credit bureau.
PREVIOUS_APPLICATION Details prior loan applications by the client.
INSTALLMENTS_PAYMENTS Logs monthly installments for loans at the time of payment.
LOAN_STATUS Tracks whether loan was terminated.
CREDIT_CARD_MONTHLY_BALANCE Monthly balance summaries for credit cards

Step 2: Locate Your data

From the menu, go to the Explore section and access the Source Tables.

Go to the DEMO_DATASETS database, and select the LOAN_APPLICATIONS schema.

Name


Step 3: Explore Tables

To help you get familiar with the data in the LOAN_APPLICATIONS schema, select tables you are interested in.

Select tables

Click Summary Button to generate a summary for each table. Click Show more Button to read full summary.

Table summaries

Click one table to view its columns and preview its values.

Table columns


Step 4: Understand Table Types

For accurate feature derivation, FeatureByte needs to recognize the roles of different tables.

Each table should be assigned a specific type based on its structure and purpose:

  • NEW_APPLICATION --> Dimension table.

    Why Dimesion Table?

    While we could have registered this as an Event table, this table contains only a subset of the applications. By setting it as a Dimension Table, we disable aggregations, preventing potentially non-meaningful computations.

  • CLIENT_PROFILE --> Slowly Changing Dimension (SCD) table.

    Why Slowly Changing Dimension Table?

    The table tracks the client profile that changes over time, making it a Slowly Changing Dimension (SCD) Table.

  • BUREAU --> Event table.

    Why Event Table?

    The table captures event-based updates from the credit bureau regarding external credit activities.

  • PREVIOUS_APPLICATION --> Event table.

    Why Event Table?

    The table records events tied to decisions made on previous loan applications.

  • LOAN_STATUS --> Slowly Changing Dimension (SCD) table.

    Why Slowly Changing Dimension Table?

    The table tracks loan statuses and dynamic fields that change over time, making it a Slowly Changing Dimension (SCD) Table.

  • INSTALLMENTS_PAYMENTS --> Event table.

    Why Event Table?

    The table logs discrete payment events for loan installments.

  • CREDIT_CARD_MONTHLY_BALANCE --> Time Series table.

    Why Time Series Table?

    The table provides monthly snapshots of credit cards usage, aligning well with time series.

Note

If you are interested in a use case that exploits item table, check out the Grocery UI Tutorials.


Step 5: Register the NEW_APPLICATION table

  1. Select the NEW_APPLICATION table. Name

  2. Click on Register Table to start registration.

  3. Set the table type as Dimension Table.

  4. Specify its Dimension ID Column. Here: SK_ID_CURR.

  5. Specify the Record Creation Timestamp Column if applicable. Here: available_at.

  6. Complete registration by clicking Confirm Registration.


Register NEW_APPLICATION


Step 6: Register the CLIENT_PROFILE table as a SCD Table

  1. Select the CLIENT_PROFILE table. Name

  2. Click on Register Table

  3. Click on Magic Wand to get assistance. Name

  4. Accept suggestions to:

    Name

    Databricks cluster time zone settings

    If you are using Databricks, keep in mind that FeatureByte retrieves timestamps exactly as they are stored, without adjusting for your Databricks cluster's time zone settings.

  5. Complete registration by clicking Confirm Registration. Register CLIENT_PROFILE


Step 7: Register the BUREAU table as an Event Table

  1. Select the BUREAU table. Name

  2. Click on Register Table.

  3. Click on Magic Wand to get assistance. Name

  4. Accept suggestions to:

    Name

  5. Establish a Default Feature Job Setting, either automatically (if a Record Creation Timestamp Column is provided) or manually. We will set the job automatically by clicking Register Table.

  6. Complete registration by clicking Confirm Registration. Register BUREAU


Step 8: Register the PREVIOUS_APPLICATION table as an Event Table

  1. Select the PREVIOUS_APPLICATION table. Name

  2. Click on Register Table.

  3. Click on Magic Wand to get assistance. Name

  4. Accept suggestions: Name

  5. Establish a Default Feature Job Setting, either automatically (if a Record Creation Timestamp Column is provided) or manually. We will set the job automatically by clicking Register Table.

  6. Complete registration by clicking Confirm Registration.

    Register PREVIOUS_APPLICATION


Step 9: Register the LOAN_STATUS table as a SCD Table

  1. Select the LOAN_STATUS table. Name

  2. Click on Register Table

  3. Click on Magic Wand to get assistance. Name

  4. Accept suggestions:

    Name

  5. Complete registration by clicking Confirm Registration.

    Register LOAN_STATUS


Step 10: Register the INSTALLMENTS_PAYMENTS table as an Event Table

  1. Select the INSTALLMENTS_PAYMENTS table. Name

  2. Click on Register Table.

  3. Click on Magic Wand to get assistance. Name

  4. Accept suggestions: Name

  5. Establish a Default Feature Job Setting. We will set the job manually as a CRON job with a blind spot of 1 hour as follows: Name

  6. Complete registration by clicking Confirm Registration.

    Register INSTALLMENTS_PAYMENTS

Why a CRON job?

CRON feature job enables calendar windows which are suitable for installments that are monthly events.


Step 11: Register the CREDIT_CARD_MONTHLY_BALANCE table as a Time Series Table

  1. Select the CREDIT_CARD_MONTHLY_BALANCE table. Name

  2. Click on Register Table

  3. Click on Magic Wand to get assistance. Name

  4. Accept suggestions except for the reference time zone to:

    • Set the table type as Time Series Table.
    • Specify the Reference Datetime Column and its Schema. Ensure the following:

      • If the column is recorded as a string, specify its string-based datetime format.
      • Indicate whether the Reference Datetime is recorded in UTC or local time.

      • If a time zone column is used to assign individual time zones per record, specify the reference time zone. This should be the westernmost time zone among those specified in the column.

        Westernmost Time Zone Example

        Suppose you have a dataset with a user_time_zone column, where users are located in different time zones such as America/New_York, America/Chicago, and America/Los_Angeles. The reference time zone should be America/Los_Angeles, as it is the westernmost among them.

    • Specify the Series ID if applicable and the time interval.

    • Specify the Record Creation Timestamp Column if applicable.

    Name

  5. Set the reference time zone to America/Los Angeles: Name

  6. Establish a Default Feature Job Setting compatible with the series time interval and the series data availability. Name

  7. Complete registration by clicking Confirm Registration.


Step 12: Review Registered Tables

Verify the registration by checking the Table Catalog under the 'Explore' section.

Table Description