Python Tutorial: Deploy a linear regression model with SQL machine learning

Applies to: SQL Server 2017 (14.x) and later Azure SQL Managed Instance

In part four of this four-part tutorial series, you'll deploy a linear regression model developed in Python into a SQL Server database using Machine Learning Services or Big Data Clusters.

In this article, you'll learn how to:

• Create a stored procedure that generates the machine learning model
• Store the model in a database table
• Create a stored procedure that makes predictions using the model
• Execute the model with new data

In part one, you learned how to restore the sample database.

In part two, you learned how to load the data from a database into a Python data frame, and prepare the data in Python.

In part three, you learned how to train a linear regression machine learning model in Python.

Prerequisites

• Part four of this tutorial assumes you have completed part one and its prerequisites.

Create a stored procedure that generates the model

Now, using the Python scripts you developed, create a stored procedure generate_rental_py_model that trains and generates the linear regression model using LinearRegression from scikit-learn.

Run the following T-SQL statement in Azure Data Studio to create the stored procedure to train the model.

-- Stored procedure that trains and generates a Python model using the rental_data and a linear regression algorithm
DROP PROCEDURE IF EXISTS generate_rental_py_model;
go
CREATE PROCEDURE generate_rental_py_model (@trained_model varbinary(max) OUTPUT)
AS
BEGIN
    EXECUTE sp_execute_external_script
      @language = N'Python'
    , @script = N'
from sklearn.linear_model import LinearRegression
import pickle

df = rental_train_data

# Get all the columns from the dataframe.
columns = df.columns.tolist()

# Store the variable well be predicting on.
target = "RentalCount"

# Initialize the model class.
lin_model = LinearRegression()

# Fit the model to the training data.
lin_model.fit(df[columns], df[target])

# Before saving the model to the DB table, convert it to a binary object
trained_model = pickle.dumps(lin_model)'

, @input_data_1 = N'select "RentalCount", "Year", "Month", "Day", "WeekDay", "Snow", "Holiday" from dbo.rental_data where Year < 2015'
, @input_data_1_name = N'rental_train_data'
, @params = N'@trained_model varbinary(max) OUTPUT'
, @trained_model = @trained_model OUTPUT;
END;
GO

Store the model in a database table

Create a table in the TutorialDB database and then save the model to the table.

1. Run the following T-SQL statement in Azure Data Studio to create a table called dbo.rental_py_models which is used to store the model.

   USE TutorialDB;
   DROP TABLE IF EXISTS dbo.rental_py_models;
   GO
   CREATE TABLE dbo.rental_py_models (
       model_name VARCHAR(30) NOT NULL DEFAULT('default model') PRIMARY KEY,
       model VARBINARY(MAX) NOT NULL
   );
   GO
   

2. Save the model to the table as a binary object, with the model name linear_model.

   DECLARE @model VARBINARY(MAX);
   EXECUTE generate_rental_py_model @model OUTPUT;
   
   INSERT INTO rental_py_models (model_name, model) VALUES('linear_model', @model);
   

Create a stored procedure that makes predictions

1. Create a stored procedure py_predict_rentalcount that makes predictions using the trained model and a set of new data. Run the T-SQL below in Azure Data Studio.

   DROP PROCEDURE IF EXISTS py_predict_rentalcount;
   GO
   CREATE PROCEDURE py_predict_rentalcount (@model varchar(100))
   AS
   BEGIN
       DECLARE @py_model varbinary(max) = (select model from rental_py_models where model_name = @model);
   
       EXECUTE sp_execute_external_script
                   @language = N'Python',
                   @script = N'
   
   # Import the scikit-learn function to compute error.
   from sklearn.metrics import mean_squared_error
   import pickle
   import pandas
   
   rental_model = pickle.loads(py_model)
   
   df = rental_score_data
   
   # Get all the columns from the dataframe.
   columns = df.columns.tolist()
   
   # Variable you will be predicting on.
   target = "RentalCount"
   
   # Generate the predictions for the test set.
   lin_predictions = rental_model.predict(df[columns])
   print(lin_predictions)
   
   # Compute error between the test predictions and the actual values.
   lin_mse = mean_squared_error(lin_predictions, df[target])
   #print(lin_mse)
   
   predictions_df = pandas.DataFrame(lin_predictions)
   
   OutputDataSet = pandas.concat([predictions_df, df["RentalCount"], df["Month"], df["Day"], df["WeekDay"], df["Snow"], df["Holiday"], df["Year"]], axis=1)
   '
   , @input_data_1 = N'Select "RentalCount", "Year" ,"Month", "Day", "WeekDay", "Snow", "Holiday"  from rental_data where Year = 2015'
   , @input_data_1_name = N'rental_score_data'
   , @params = N'@py_model varbinary(max)'
   , @py_model = @py_model
   with result sets (("RentalCount_Predicted" float, "RentalCount" float, "Month" float,"Day" float,"WeekDay" float,"Snow" float,"Holiday" float, "Year" float));
   
   END;
   GO
   

2. Create a table for storing the predictions.

   DROP TABLE IF EXISTS [dbo].[py_rental_predictions];
   GO
   
   CREATE TABLE [dbo].[py_rental_predictions](
    [RentalCount_Predicted] [int] NULL,
    [RentalCount_Actual] [int] NULL,
    [Month] [int] NULL,
    [Day] [int] NULL,
    [WeekDay] [int] NULL,
    [Snow] [int] NULL,
    [Holiday] [int] NULL,
    [Year] [int] NULL
   ) ON [PRIMARY]
   GO
   

3. Execute the stored procedure to predict rental counts

   --Insert the results of the predictions for test set into a table
   INSERT INTO py_rental_predictions
   EXEC py_predict_rentalcount 'linear_model';
   
   -- Select contents of the table
   SELECT * FROM py_rental_predictions;
   

   You should see results similar to the following.

   

You have successfully created, trained, and deployed a model. You then used that model in a stored procedure to predict values based on new data.

Next steps

In part four of this tutorial series, you completed these steps:

• Create a stored procedure that generates the machine learning model
• Store the model in a database table
• Create a stored procedure that makes predictions using the model
• Execute the model with new data

To learn more about using Python with SQL machine learning, see:

• Python tutorials