> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://nixtla-mintlify-74f0f352.mintlify.site/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Quick start SynForecast generates synthetic time-series panels — validated, reproducible, and in the same long format as the rest of the Nixtlaverse. This guide goes from a one-line panel to explicitly controlled generators, injected real-world patterns, and mixed datasets. > **Common uses** > > * **Testing** a forecasting pipeline on data whose true process you > know, before trusting it on real series. > * **Augmenting** a small panel so a global model has more to learn > from — see [SynAugment](/synforecast/docs/capabilities/augmentation.html). > * **Pretraining** foundation models on a diverse corpus no single > real dataset provides. > * **Sharing** a reproducible example without exposing proprietary > data. ## 1. Generate a panel in one line `generate_series` draws from a balanced pool of generators spanning trends, seasonality, volatility clustering, counts, and more, then returns a panel you can hand straight to any Nixtla forecaster. ```python theme={null} from synforecast import generate_series panel = generate_series( n_series=6, freq="D", min_length=200, max_length=200, engine="polars", seed=1, ) panel.head() ``` | unique\_id | ds | y | | ---------- | ------------------- | --------- | | cat | datetime\[ns] | f64 | | "0" | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | 0.705375 | | "0" | 2000-01-02 00:00:00 | 0.838695 | | "0" | 2000-01-03 00:00:00 | 0.303755 | | "0" | 2000-01-04 00:00:00 | -0.502002 | | "0" | 2000-01-05 00:00:00 | 0.060002 | > **The Nixtla long format** > > Every SynForecast output uses three columns — `unique_id` (series id), > `ds` (timestamp), and `y` (value) — the schema `statsforecast`, > `mlforecast`, and `neuralforecast` all expect, so no adapter is > needed. The default `engine="pandas"` returns a pandas frame; pass > `engine="polars"` (as here) for Polars. ```python theme={null} import matplotlib.pyplot as plt import polars as pl from utilsforecast.plotting import plot_series def plot_panel(df, title, max_series=8): """Overlay a panel on one axis, for series that share a data-generating process.""" fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(11, 4)) for uid in df["unique_id"].unique(maintain_order=True).to_list()[:max_series]: series = df.filter(pl.col("unique_id") == uid) ax.plot(series["ds"], series["y"], linewidth=1, alpha=0.8, label=str(uid)) ax.set(title=title, xlabel="ds", ylabel="y") ax.legend(fontsize=8, ncol=4) plt.tight_layout() plt.show() # These six series come from six different generators, so their scales differ by # an order of magnitude. One panel per series keeps the small-amplitude # processes readable; `plot_panel` above is for series that share a process. plot_series(panel, max_ids=6, plot_random=False) ``` Each line is a different data-generating process. Together they cover ARIMA dynamics, exponential smoothing, long memory, regime switching, volatility clustering, and irregular cycles. That diversity is what turns the panel into a stress test for a forecaster rather than one shape repeated six times. Don’t take that on trust — pass `with_generator_col=True` to record which generator produced each series: ```python theme={null} provenance = generate_series( n_series=6, freq="D", min_length=200, max_length=200, engine="polars", seed=1, with_generator_col=True, ) per_series = provenance.group_by("unique_id", "generator").len().sort("unique_id") print(per_series) assert per_series["generator"].n_unique() == 6, "panel should span 6 generators" ``` ```text theme={null} shape: (6, 3) ┌───────────┬─────────────────────────────────┬─────┐ │ unique_id ┆ generator ┆ len │ │ --- ┆ --- ┆ --- │ │ cat ┆ str ┆ u32 │ ╞═══════════╪═════════════════════════════════╪═════╡ │ 0 ┆ SARIMAGenerator ┆ 200 │ │ 1 ┆ ETSGenerator ┆ 200 │ │ 2 ┆ FractionalBrownianMotionGenera… ┆ 200 │ │ 3 ┆ RegimeSwitchingGenerator ┆ 200 │ │ 4 ┆ GARCHGenerator ┆ 200 │ │ 5 ┆ CyclicGenerator ┆ 200 │ └───────────┴─────────────────────────────────┴─────┘ ``` ## 2. Choose a generator when you need control `generate_series` is the fast default. When you need a known process — for example, to confirm your model recovers an upward trend — instantiate a generator and set its parameters explicitly. Here, a random walk with positive drift and moderate volatility. ```python theme={null} from synforecast.generators import RandomWalkGenerator rw = RandomWalkGenerator( engine="polars", min_length=200, max_length=200, freq="D", drift=0.1, volatility=1.5, start_value=100.0, seed=42, ) walks = rw.generate(n_series=4) plot_panel(walks, "Random walks with positive drift (drift=0.1, volatility=1.5)") ``` All four series share the same process but a different noise draw: the common upward pull is the `drift`, the jaggedness is the `volatility`. Change `seed` for fresh draws, or the parameters to reshape the process. Every generator’s full parameter set is listed in the [generator reference](https://github.com/Nixtla/synforecast/blob/main/GENERATORS.md). ## 3. Inject real-world patterns Real series are rarely clean. Any generator can add anomalies, level shifts, and missing values, so you can measure how a model copes with them — and because everything is seeded, the messy series is reproducible. ```python theme={null} messy = RandomWalkGenerator( engine="polars", min_length=200, max_length=200, freq="D", start_value=100.0, seed=42, # spikes and dips anomalies=True, anomaly_fraction=0.03, anomaly_types=["spike", "dip"], # abrupt level shifts changepoints=True, num_changepoints=2, changepoint_type="level", # gaps missing_data=True, missing_rate=0.02, ) plot_panel( messy.generate(n_series=1), "One random walk with spikes/dips, level shifts, and gaps", ) ``` > **Each pattern has its own guide** > > The knobs above are the quick version. Fine-grained control lives in > the capability guides: [anomalies](/synforecast/docs/capabilities/anomalies.html), > [changepoints](/synforecast/docs/capabilities/changepoints.html), and > [missingness](/synforecast/docs/capabilities/missingness.html). To attach exogenous > regressors, see [exogenous](/synforecast/docs/capabilities/exogenous.html). ## 4. Combine generators into one dataset A realistic panel mixes behaviors. `SynSet` composes several generators into a single long-format dataset, with each generator contributing a batch of series under its own ids. ```python theme={null} from synforecast import SynSet from synforecast.generators import SeasonalGenerator dataset = SynSet( [ RandomWalkGenerator( engine="polars", min_length=200, max_length=200, freq="D", seed=1 ), SeasonalGenerator( engine="polars", min_length=200, max_length=200, freq="D", seasonality_period=7, seasonality_amplitude=8.0, seed=2, ), ] ) mixed = dataset.generate(n_series_per_generator=3) plot_panel(mixed, "SynSet: random-walk + weekly-seasonal series in one panel") ``` > **Reproducibility and the alpha API** > > Generation is fully seeded: the same inputs produce the same panel > across runs and regardless of `n_jobs`. SynForecast is in alpha, so > seed-identical outputs may change between releases — pin a version if > you depend on exact values. ## Where to go next * **Generators** — 31 generator classes from SARIMA, ETS, and GARCH to Gaussian processes and the [KernelSynth](/synforecast/docs/generators/pretraining/kernel_synth.html) pretraining recipe. Start with [random walk](/synforecast/docs/generators/statistical/random_walk.html) or [seasonal](/synforecast/docs/generators/statistical/seasonal.html). * **[Augmentation](/synforecast/docs/capabilities/augmentation.html)** — expand a small real panel with `SynAugment` or TSMixup. * **[Balanced pool](/synforecast/docs/capabilities/balanced_pool.html)** — what `generate_series` draws from by default, and how to tailor it. * **Integrations** — end-to-end workflows with [statsforecast](/synforecast/docs/integrations/statsforecast.html), [mlforecast](/synforecast/docs/integrations/mlforecast.html), and [neuralforecast](/synforecast/docs/integrations/neuralforecast.html).