Problem

When using Feast, it can be hard to version features with respect to models in production.

• Users modifying a re-used feature view (e.g. in response to upstream schema change) can accidentally impact other models in production
• Hard to tie versions of features together or versions of models (~FeatureService)

As Feast adds batch transformations or #2597, transformation logic will also need to be versioned. This is already an issue today with on demand feature views too.

Potential solution

One way to address this is to double down on:

1. Feature services as the central way to retrieve features + track models.

• Registering a feature service signifies dependent features / feature views are in "production"
• Allow feature_service.get_historical_features or feature_service.get_online_features

2. Improvements to feast plan and feast apply

• feast plan that prevents deletion or editing of feature views that feature services in prod depend on (Modifying https://github.com/feast-dev/feast/blob/master/sdk/python/feast/feature_store.py#L594)
  • If you remove a feature service, then the underlying feature views could be removed if no other feature service depend on it
• feast apply that fails in above case by default (overridable though)
  • e.g. modifying the logic at https://github.com/feast-dev/feast/blob/master/sdk/python/feast/feature_store.py#L676

3. Feature view versioning

• Not super sure here on the best practice, but a way to say that feature view B is a new version of feature view A.