A `model_alias` allows trained models to be referred by a user defined moniker.
This not only improves the readability and simplicity of numerous API calls, but it allows for simpler deployment and upgrade procedures for trained models.
Previously, if you referenced a model ID directly within an ingest pipeline, when you have a new model that performs better than an earlier referenced model, you have to update the pipeline itself. If this model was used in numerous pipelines, ALL those pipelines would have to be updated.
When using a `model_alias` in an ingest pipeline, only that `model_alias` needs to be updated. Then, the underlying referenced model will change in place for all ingest pipelines automatically.
An additional benefit is that the model referenced is not changed until it is fully loaded into cache, this way throughput is not hampered by changing models.
István Zoltán Szabó
Benjamin Trent
James Rodewig