Analysis, often by finding approximate derivatives of the output with respect to each input, that determines which of the descriptors in a model has the greatest influence on the output.
Source: PAC, 2016, 88, 239. 'Glossary of terms used in computational drug design, part II (IUPAC Recommendations 2015)' on page 256 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2012-1204)