[Verse 1]
Raw data comes messy, categories run wild
Target encoding maps the mean, frequency compiled
Count the occurrences, let the numbers tell their tale
Hash those features when dimensions start to fail
[Chorus]
Engineer the signal, craft what matters most
Target, frequency, hashing coast to coast
Interactions brewing, polynomials rise
Feature engineering opens up your eyes
MCAR, MAR, MNAR - know your missing dance
Mutual information gives selection a chance
[Verse 2]
Multiply your features, interactions bloom
X times Y reveals what single vars can't assume
Polynomial expansion, squared and cubed we go
Binning cuts continuous into buckets that we know
[Chorus]
Engineer the signal, craft what matters most
Target, frequency, hashing coast to coast
Interactions brewing, polynomials rise
Feature engineering opens up your eyes
MCAR, MAR, MNAR - know your missing dance
Mutual information gives selection a chance
[Bridge]
Missing completely at random, MCAR's the game
Missing at random MAR, depends on what we can name
Not missing at random, MNAR's the hardest call
Don't just impute blindly, understand them all
[Verse 3]
Recursive elimination walks backward through the door
L1 sparsity makes coefficients hit the floor
Information theory measures what each feature brings
Selection is an art, not just statistical things
[Chorus]
Engineer the signal, craft what matters most
Target, frequency, hashing coast to coast
Interactions brewing, polynomials rise
Feature engineering opens up your eyes
MCAR, MAR, MNAR - know your missing dance
Mutual information gives selection a chance
[Outro]
From raw to refined, the craftsman's sacred art
Every feature matters, every choice is smart