Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Abstract: Machine unlearning in learned cardinality estimation (CE) systems presents unique challenges due to the complex distributional dependencies in multi-table relational data. Specifically, data deletion, a core component of machine unlearning, faces three critical challenges in learned CE models: attribute-level sensitivity, inter-table propagation and domain disappearance leading to severe overestimation in multi-way joins. We propose Cardinality Estimation Pruning (CEP), the first unlearning framework specifically designed for multi-table learned CE systems. CEP introduces Distribution Sensitivity Pruning, which constructs semi-join deletion results and computes sensitivity scores to guide parameter pruning, and Domain Pruning, which removes support for value domains entirely eliminated by deletion. We evaluate CEP on state-of-the-art architectures NeuroCard and FACE across IMDB and TPC-H datasets. Results demonstrate CEP consistently achieves the lowest Q-error in multi-table scenarios, particularly under high deletion ratios, often outperforming full retraining. Furthermore, CEP significantly reduces convergence iterations, incurring negligible computational overhead of 0.3%-2.5% of fine-tuning time.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: He, Chaowei, Liu, Yuanjun, Ma, Qingzhi, Ren, Shenyuan, Luo, Xizhao, Zhao, Lei, Liu, An
Language: English
Subfield: Artificial Intelligence
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4416771316
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