Azure OpenAI fine-tuning

Fine-tune Azure OpenAI models with W&B experiment tracking to log metrics, hyperparameters, and training progress.

This guide shows you how to use W&B with Azure OpenAI to track and evaluate fine-tuning jobs for GPT-3.5 or GPT-4 models. When you integrate W&B, experiment tracking captures metrics, hyperparameters, and training artifacts so you can analyze and improve model performance. You can also use W&B’s evaluation tools to make data-driven decisions about model selection.

This guide is for machine learning practitioners who fine-tune Azure OpenAI models and want a systematic way to track and compare runs.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, complete the following:

• Set up Azure OpenAI service according to official Azure documentation.
• Configure a W&B account with an API key.

Workflow overview

The following stages summarize how a typical Azure OpenAI fine-tuning job flows through W&B, from preparing the job through evaluating the resulting model.

Fine-tuning setup

Fine-tuning setup involves the following steps:

• Prepare training data according to Azure OpenAI requirements.
• Configure the fine-tuning job in Azure OpenAI.
• W&B automatically tracks the fine-tuning process and logs metrics and hyperparameters.

Experiment tracking

During fine-tuning, W&B captures:

• Training and validation metrics.
• Model hyperparameters.
• Resource usage.
• Training artifacts.

Model evaluation

After fine-tuning, use W&B Weave to:

• Evaluate model outputs against reference datasets.
• Compare performance across different fine-tuning runs.
• Analyze model behavior on specific test cases.
• Make data-driven decisions for model selection.

Real-world example

To see the integration applied end-to-end, explore the following resources:

• Explore the medical note generation demo to see how this integration facilitates:
  • Systematic tracking of fine-tuning experiments.
  • Model evaluation using domain-specific metrics.
• Work through an interactive fine-tuning notebook.

Additional resources

• Azure OpenAI W&B Integration Guide
• Azure OpenAI Fine-tuning Documentation