“The goal is to turn data into information, and information into insight.” –Carly Fiorina
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Performance Hot Spot Categories
Performance Threats
Performance Vulnerabilities
Performance Countermeasures
The Performance Threats and Countermeasures Framework is a comprehensive and organized approach to software performance, utilizing Performance Hot Spots to address common bottlenecks and promote best practices.
During my time working on software performance guidance at Microsoft, I developed a framework I called the Performance Threats and Countermeasures Framework, which proved to be a valuable tool for organizing and prioritizing software performance issues.
I leveraged what I had learned about organizing security knowledge into another framework that I called the Security Threats and Countermeasures framework. I wanted to create a common way for creating and sharing deeper knowledge within different domains.
I used this Performance Threats and Countermeasures Framework to organize and structure actionable performance knowledge in the form of guidelines and checklists.
I also used it to help build better evaluation criteria to identify key performance decisions that could have a significant impact.
The Performance Threats and Countermeasures Framework allowed everyone to collaborate better and to provide a more comprehensive approach to improving software performance.
Ultimately, the Performance Threats and Countermeasures Framework makes it easier for developers and performance professionals to understand and implement best practices in software performance.
Performance Threats and Countermeasures “Hot Spots” Categories
Over time, I discovered a method to organize our performance principles, patterns, and practices into actionable categories that could group patterns of performance knowledge into themes.
By focusing efforts around related concepts, these themes helped make performance knowledge more actionable.
I referred to these categories as Performance Hot Spots and used them as the backbone for the Performance Threats and Countermeasures Framework. Here are the Performance Hot Spots that I used:
Category | Key Considerations |
---|---|
Caching | Per user, application-wide, data volatility |
Communication | Transport mechanism, boundaries, remote interface design, round trips, serialization, bandwidth |
Coupling and Cohesion | Loose coupling, high cohesion among components and layers |
Concurrency | Transactions, locks, threading, queuing |
Data Access | Schema design; Paging; Hierarchies; Indexes; Amount of data; Round trips. |
Data Structures / Algorithms | Choice of algorithm, Arrays vs. collections |
Resource Management | Allocating, creating, destroying, pooling |
State Management | Per user, application-wide, persistence, location |
Threats Organized by the Performance Threats and Countermeasures Framework
With the Performance Threats and Countermeasures Framework, it’s easy to walk the categories and think of potential performance problems.
Here’s a list of potential software performance problems, organized by the Performance Threats and Countermeasures framework:
Category | Threats |
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Caching |
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Communication |
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Concurrency |
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Coupling / Cohesion |
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Data Access |
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Data Structures / Algorithms |
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Exception Management |
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Resource Management |
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State Management |
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Vulnerabilities Organized by the Performance Threats and Countermeasures Framework
You can also use the Performance Threats and Countermeasures Framework to identify common mistakes that lead to the performance problems above.
Here’s a list of common design mistakes we find in applications that impact software performance:
Category | Vulnerabilities |
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Caching |
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Communication |
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Concurrency |
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Coupling / Cohesion |
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Data Access |
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Data Structures / Algorithms |
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Exception Management |
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Resource Management |
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State Management |
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Countermeasures Organized by the Performance Threats and Countermeasures Framework
Here’s a list of common design strategies organized by the Performance Threats and Countermeasures Framework that lead to better software performance:
Category | Countermeasures |
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Caching |
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Communication |
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Concurrency |
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Coupling / Cohesion |
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Data Access |
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Data Structures / Algorithms |
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Exception Management |
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Resource Management |
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State Management |
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Leverage the Performance Threats and Countermeasures Framework to Make Performance More Accessible and Actionable
The Performance Threats and Countermeasures Framework, along with the Performance Hot Spots, have proven to be valuable tools in advancing software performance.
By identifying and categorizing software performance threats and countermeasures, organizations can better prioritize and focus their efforts on the most critical performance issues and build better products, systems, and services.
As technology continues to advance, it is important to continuously optimize and improve software performance, and the Performance Threats and Countermeasures Framework provides a valuable tool for achieving these goals.
Remember, by prioritizing and focusing on key hot spots, you can improve your software’s performance and ultimately provide a better experience for your users.
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