The R Book on Hyperparameter Tuning for ML and DL

Hyperparameter tuning? Is this relevant in practice? Is it not rather an academic gimmick? That the latter is not the case has been known for many years. On the other hand, it is mostly unclear what exactly this looks like in practice. Which procedures depend on which hyperparameters? How sensitive are the procedures to different settings of their hyperparameters? And does that in turn depend on which data constellations are available? How can users develop a good feeling for being on the right track when tuning? Answers to these questions are not only expected when it comes to optimally performing tuning per se, but also when it comes to making the tuning process transparent, i.e., answering the question why, after all, this and not that hyperparameter constellation was chosen. This book delivers answers to the above questions, some of which were compiled as part of a study funded by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany. The contributed case studies and associated scripts also enable practitioners to reproduce the described tuning procedures and apply them themselves. The presented insights, cross-references, experiences, and recommendations will contribute to a better understanding of hyperparameter tuning in machine learning and to gain transparency.