How we built a lab to evaluate data agents

Hex has developed a unique evaluation infrastructure called "The Shoebox" to enhance the performance and assessment of data agents, particularly within the complex domain of data analytics. This system allows for ad-hoc and scheduled evaluations, focusing on pairwise experiments to compare a "candidate" against a "baseline" run, thus facilitating detailed and consistent assessments. To address the scarcity of suitable analytic benchmarks, Hex created a hypothetical business, Shorelane Commerce, which provides a realistic data set reflecting the challenges faced by data agents in real-world scenarios. The Shoebox integrates deeply with Hex's application, allowing for seamless updates and evaluations, though it requires significant maintenance and coordination to ensure consistency across local and production environments. Despite these challenges, the infrastructure supports the development of innovative features and provides a flexible platform for engineers to test new ideas and configurations, making it a valuable asset for Hex's ongoing advancements in data analytics.

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