arXiv:2506.17847cs.LGcs.AI2025-06被引 2

对比两大开源工具生成表格数据,发现合成数据能有效支持模型训练。

A Comparative Study of Open-Source Libraries for Synthetic Tabular Data Generation: SDV vs. SynthCity

  • 用真实比利时数据集测试六种生成器,模拟小样本训练场景。
  • 1:10比例下预测性能下降,但贝叶斯网络仍保持最高数据保真度。
  • SDV易用性更好,适合实际应用;SynthCity在数据质量上略优。

高质量训练数据对机器学习模型(尤其是大语言模型)至关重要,但获取真实高质量数据对中小组织和初创企业颇具挑战。合成数据生成器通过复制真实数据的统计与结构特征,在保障隐私和可扩展性的同时提供可行解决方案。本研究评估了两个主流开源库——SDV(高斯耦合、CTGAN、TVAE)和SynthCity(贝叶斯网络、CTGAN、TVAE)——中六种表格型合成数据生成器的性能。基于来自UCI机器学习仓库的比利时能源消耗与环境变量真实数据集,以仅1,000行数据模拟低数据场景,分别在1:1(1,000行输入/输出)和1:10(10,000行)输入输出比条件下生成合成数据。评估采用两类标准:统计相似性(经典统计量与分布度量)和预测效用(采用“用合成数据训练,真实数据测试”方法,使用四种回归模型)。结果显示,所有模型在两种场景下的统计相似性表现一致,但1:10条件下预测效用显著下降。贝叶斯网络在两场景中均实现最高保真度,而SDV的TVAE在1:10设置下预测任务表现最佳。尽管两库整体性能无显著差异,但SDV凭借更优文档与易用性,更适合实践者使用。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

High-quality training data is critical to the performance of machine learning models, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs). However, obtaining real, high-quality data can be challenging, especially for smaller organizations and early-stage startups. Synthetic data generators provide a promising solution by replicating the statistical and structural properties of real data while preserving privacy and scalability. This study evaluates the performance of six tabular synthetic data generators from two widely used open-source libraries: SDV (Gaussian Copula, CTGAN, TVAE) and Synthicity (Bayesian Network, CTGAN, TVAE). Using a real-world dataset from the UCI Machine Learning Repository, comprising energy consumption and environmental variables from Belgium, we simulate a low-data regime by training models on only 1,000 rows. Each generator is then tasked with producing synthetic datasets under two conditions: a 1:1 (1,000 rows) and a 1:10 (10,000 rows) input-output ratio. Evaluation is conducted using two criteria: statistical similarity, measured via classical statistics and distributional metrics; and predictive utility, assessed using a "Train on Synthetic, Test on Real" approach with four regression models. While statistical similarity remained consistent across models in both scenarios, predictive utility declined notably in the 1:10 case. The Bayesian Network from Synthicity achieved the highest fidelity in both scenarios, while TVAE from SDV performed best in predictive tasks under the 1:10 setting. Although no significant performance gap was found between the two libraries, SDV stands out for its superior documentation and ease of use, making it more accessible for practitioners.

合成数据表格生成数据隐私SDV

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