Identifying types of features

You cannot start modeling without knowing what a feature is and what type of information it can store. You have already read about the different processes that deal with features. For example, you know that feature engineering is related to the task of building and preparing features for your models; you also know that feature selection is related to the task of choosing the best set of features to feed a particular algorithm. These two tasks have one behavior in common: they may vary according to the types of features they are processing.

It is very important to understand this behavior (feature type versus applicable transformations) because it will help you eliminate invalid answers during your exam (and, most importantly, you will become a better data scientist).

By types of features, you refer to the data type that a particular feature is supposed to store. Figure 4.1 shows how you could potentially describe the different types of features of...