// Protocol messages for describing input data Examples for machine learning // model training or inference. syntax = "proto3"; import "tensorflow/core/example/feature.proto"; option cc_enable_arenas = true; option java_outer_classname = "ExampleProtos"; option java_multiple_files = true; option java_package = "org.tensorflow.example"; option go_package = "github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/tensorflow/go/core/example"; package tensorflow; // An Example is a mostly-normalized data format for storing data for // training and inference. It contains a key-value store (features); where // each key (string) maps to a Feature message (which is oneof packed BytesList, // FloatList, or Int64List). This flexible and compact format allows the // storage of large amounts of typed data, but requires that the data shape // and use be determined by the configuration files and parsers that are used to // read and write this format. That is, the Example is mostly *not* a // self-describing format. In TensorFlow, Examples are read in row-major // format, so any configuration that describes data with rank-2 or above // should keep this in mind. For example, to store an M x N matrix of Bytes, // the BytesList must contain M*N bytes, with M rows of N contiguous values // each. That is, the BytesList value must store the matrix as: // .... row 0 .... .... row 1 .... // ........... // ... row M-1 .... // // An Example for a movie recommendation application: // features { // feature { // key: "age" // value { float_list { // value: 29.0 // }} // } // feature { // key: "movie" // value { bytes_list { // value: "The Shawshank Redemption" // value: "Fight Club" // }} // } // feature { // key: "movie_ratings" // value { float_list { // value: 9.0 // value: 9.7 // }} // } // feature { // key: "suggestion" // value { bytes_list { // value: "Inception" // }} // } // # Note that this feature exists to be used as a label in training. // # E.g., if training a logistic regression model to predict purchase // # probability in our learning tool we would set the label feature to // # "suggestion_purchased". // feature { // key: "suggestion_purchased" // value { float_list { // value: 1.0 // }} // } // # Similar to "suggestion_purchased" above this feature exists to be used // # as a label in training. // # E.g., if training a linear regression model to predict purchase // # price in our learning tool we would set the label feature to // # "purchase_price". // feature { // key: "purchase_price" // value { float_list { // value: 9.99 // }} // } // } // // A conformant Example data set obeys the following conventions: // - If a Feature K exists in one example with data type T, it must be of // type T in all other examples when present. It may be omitted. // - The number of instances of Feature K list data may vary across examples, // depending on the requirements of the model. // - If a Feature K doesn't exist in an example, a K-specific default will be // used, if configured. // - If a Feature K exists in an example but contains no items, the intent // is considered to be an empty tensor and no default will be used. message Example { Features features = 1; }; // A SequenceExample is an Example representing one or more sequences, and // some context. The context contains features which apply to the entire // example. The feature_lists contain a key, value map where each key is // associated with a repeated set of Features (a FeatureList). // A FeatureList thus represents the values of a feature identified by its key // over time / frames. // // Below is a SequenceExample for a movie recommendation application recording a // sequence of ratings by a user. The time-independent features ("locale", // "age", "favorites") describing the user are part of the context. The sequence // of movies the user rated are part of the feature_lists. For each movie in the // sequence we have information on its name and actors and the user's rating. // This information is recorded in three separate feature_list(s). // In the example below there are only two movies. All three feature_list(s), // namely "movie_ratings", "movie_names", and "actors" have a feature value for // both movies. Note, that "actors" is itself a bytes_list with multiple // strings per movie. // // context: { // feature: { // key : "locale" // value: { // bytes_list: { // value: [ "pt_BR" ] // } // } // } // feature: { // key : "age" // value: { // float_list: { // value: [ 19.0 ] // } // } // } // feature: { // key : "favorites" // value: { // bytes_list: { // value: [ "Majesty Rose", "Savannah Outen", "One Direction" ] // } // } // } // } // feature_lists: { // feature_list: { // key : "movie_ratings" // value: { // feature: { // float_list: { // value: [ 4.5 ] // } // } // feature: { // float_list: { // value: [ 5.0 ] // } // } // } // } // feature_list: { // key : "movie_names" // value: { // feature: { // bytes_list: { // value: [ "The Shawshank Redemption" ] // } // } // feature: { // bytes_list: { // value: [ "Fight Club" ] // } // } // } // } // feature_list: { // key : "actors" // value: { // feature: { // bytes_list: { // value: [ "Tim Robbins", "Morgan Freeman" ] // } // } // feature: { // bytes_list: { // value: [ "Brad Pitt", "Edward Norton", "Helena Bonham Carter" ] // } // } // } // } // } // // A conformant SequenceExample data set obeys the following conventions: // // Context: // - All conformant context features K must obey the same conventions as // a conformant Example's features (see above). // Feature lists: // - A FeatureList L may be missing in an example; it is up to the // parser configuration to determine if this is allowed or considered // an empty list (zero length). // - If a FeatureList L exists, it may be empty (zero length). // - If a FeatureList L is non-empty, all features within the FeatureList // must have the same data type T. Even across SequenceExamples, the type T // of the FeatureList identified by the same key must be the same. An entry // without any values may serve as an empty feature. // - If a FeatureList L is non-empty, it is up to the parser configuration // to determine if all features within the FeatureList must // have the same size. The same holds for this FeatureList across multiple // examples. // - For sequence modeling, e.g.: // http://colah.github.io/posts/2015-08-Understanding-LSTMs/ // https://github.com/tensorflow/nmt // the feature lists represent a sequence of frames. // In this scenario, all FeatureLists in a SequenceExample have the same // number of Feature messages, so that the ith element in each FeatureList // is part of the ith frame (or time step). // Examples of conformant and non-conformant examples' FeatureLists: // // Conformant FeatureLists: // feature_lists: { feature_list: { // key: "movie_ratings" // value: { feature: { float_list: { value: [ 4.5 ] } } // feature: { float_list: { value: [ 5.0 ] } } } // } } // // Non-conformant FeatureLists (mismatched types): // feature_lists: { feature_list: { // key: "movie_ratings" // value: { feature: { float_list: { value: [ 4.5 ] } } // feature: { int64_list: { value: [ 5 ] } } } // } } // // Conditionally conformant FeatureLists, the parser configuration determines // if the feature sizes must match: // feature_lists: { feature_list: { // key: "movie_ratings" // value: { feature: { float_list: { value: [ 4.5 ] } } // feature: { float_list: { value: [ 5.0, 6.0 ] } } } // } } // // Conformant pair of SequenceExample // feature_lists: { feature_list: { // key: "movie_ratings" // value: { feature: { float_list: { value: [ 4.5 ] } } // feature: { float_list: { value: [ 5.0 ] } } } // } } // and: // feature_lists: { feature_list: { // key: "movie_ratings" // value: { feature: { float_list: { value: [ 4.5 ] } } // feature: { float_list: { value: [ 5.0 ] } } // feature: { float_list: { value: [ 2.0 ] } } } // } } // // Conformant pair of SequenceExample // feature_lists: { feature_list: { // key: "movie_ratings" // value: { feature: { float_list: { value: [ 4.5 ] } } // feature: { float_list: { value: [ 5.0 ] } } } // } } // and: // feature_lists: { feature_list: { // key: "movie_ratings" // value: { } // } } // // Conditionally conformant pair of SequenceExample, the parser configuration // determines if the second feature_lists is consistent (zero-length) or // invalid (missing "movie_ratings"): // feature_lists: { feature_list: { // key: "movie_ratings" // value: { feature: { float_list: { value: [ 4.5 ] } } // feature: { float_list: { value: [ 5.0 ] } } } // } } // and: // feature_lists: { } // // Non-conformant pair of SequenceExample (mismatched types) // feature_lists: { feature_list: { // key: "movie_ratings" // value: { feature: { float_list: { value: [ 4.5 ] } } // feature: { float_list: { value: [ 5.0 ] } } } // } } // and: // feature_lists: { feature_list: { // key: "movie_ratings" // value: { feature: { int64_list: { value: [ 4 ] } } // feature: { int64_list: { value: [ 5 ] } } // feature: { int64_list: { value: [ 2 ] } } } // } } // // Conditionally conformant pair of SequenceExample; the parser configuration // determines if the feature sizes must match: // feature_lists: { feature_list: { // key: "movie_ratings" // value: { feature: { float_list: { value: [ 4.5 ] } } // feature: { float_list: { value: [ 5.0 ] } } } // } } // and: // feature_lists: { feature_list: { // key: "movie_ratings" // value: { feature: { float_list: { value: [ 4.0 ] } } // feature: { float_list: { value: [ 5.0, 3.0 ] } } // } } message SequenceExample { Features context = 1; FeatureLists feature_lists = 2; };