Add documentation for skip_feature_view_validation parameter

Copilot · franciscojavierarceo · Copilot · commit 8e8dfb1692c2 · 2026-01-15T05:31:25.000Z
Co-authored-by: franciscojavierarceo &lt;4163062+franciscojavierarceo@users.noreply.github.com&gt;
diff --git a/docs/reference/beta-on-demand-feature-view.md b/docs/reference/beta-on-demand-feature-view.md
@@ -309,4 +309,44 @@ There are new CLI commands to manage on demand feature views:
 feast on-demand-feature-views list: Lists all registered on demand feature views after feast apply is run.
 feast on-demand-feature-views describe [NAME]: Describes the definition of an on demand feature view.
 
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Validation Issues with Complex Transformations
+
+When defining On Demand Feature Views with complex transformations, you may encounter validation errors during `feast apply`. Feast validates ODFVs by constructing random inputs and running the transformation function to infer the output schema. This validation can sometimes be overly strict or fail for complex transformation logic.
+
+If you encounter validation errors that you believe are incorrect, you can skip feature view validation:
+
+**Python SDK:**
+```python
+from feast import FeatureStore
+
+store = FeatureStore(repo_path=".")
+store.apply([my_odfv], skip_feature_view_validation=True)
+```
+
+**CLI:**
+```bash
+feast apply --skip-feature-view-validation
+```
+
+{% hint style="warning" %}
+Skipping validation bypasses important checks. Use this option only when the validation system is being overly strict. We encourage you to report validation issues on the [Feast GitHub repository](https://github.com/feast-dev/feast/issues) so the team can improve the validation system.
+{% endhint %}
+
+**When to use skip_feature_view_validation:**
+- Your ODFV transformation uses complex logic that fails the random input validation
+- You've verified your transformation works correctly with real data
+- The validation error doesn't reflect an actual issue with your transformation
+
+**What validation is skipped:**
+- Feature view name uniqueness checks
+- ODFV transformation validation via `_construct_random_input()`
+- Schema inference for features
+
+**What is NOT skipped:**
+- Data source validation (use `--skip-source-validation` to skip)
+- Registry operations
+- Infrastructure updates
+
 
diff --git a/docs/reference/feast-cli-commands.md b/docs/reference/feast-cli-commands.md
@@ -51,13 +51,32 @@ Creates or updates a feature store deployment
 feast apply
 ```
 
+**Options:**
+* `--skip-source-validation`: Skip validation of data sources (don't check if tables exist)
+* `--skip-feature-view-validation`: Skip validation of feature views. Use with caution as this skips important checks
+
+```bash
+# Skip only data source validation
+feast apply --skip-source-validation
+
+# Skip only feature view validation
+feast apply --skip-feature-view-validation
+
+# Skip both validations
+feast apply --skip-source-validation --skip-feature-view-validation
+```
+
 **What does Feast apply do?**
 
 1. Feast will scan Python files in your feature repository and find all Feast object definitions, such as feature views, entities, and data sources.
-2. Feast will validate your feature definitions (e.g. for uniqueness of features)
+2. Feast will validate your feature definitions (e.g. for uniqueness of features). This validation can be skipped using the `--skip-feature-view-validation` flag if the type/validation system is being overly strict.
 3. Feast will sync the metadata about Feast objects to the registry. If a registry does not exist, then it will be instantiated. The standard registry is a simple protobuf binary file that is stored on disk \(locally or in an object store\).
 4. Feast CLI will create all necessary feature store infrastructure. The exact infrastructure that is deployed or configured depends on the `provider` configuration that you have set in `feature_store.yaml`. For example, setting `local` as your provider will result in a `sqlite` online store being created. 
 
+{% hint style="info" %}
+The `--skip-feature-view-validation` flag is particularly useful for On-Demand Feature Views (ODFVs) with complex transformations that may fail validation. However, use it with caution and please report any validation issues to the Feast team on GitHub.
+{% endhint %}
+
 {% hint style="warning" %}
 `feast apply` \(when configured to use cloud provider like `gcp` or `aws`\) will create cloud infrastructure. This may incur costs.
 {% endhint %}
