Developing Software Performance Training at Alibaba

Effective software performance analysis needs to be conducted by crossing multiple disciplines such as algorithms, data structures, effective coding, performance data collection and its associated overheads, computer architecture, operating systems, containers and virtual machines, statistical analysis, machine learning and applied mathematics. However, no students are prepared to learn all these subjects in school. There is a need to develop software performance training at work. We need a training program that targets the different needs of new and old employees. We are working on developing such a program here at Alibaba. This paper describes our focus on practical aspect of mastering various subjects to aid software performance analysis.