# PERF 6 How do you evolve your workload to take advantage of new releases?
When architecting workloads, there are finite options that you can choose from. However, over time, new technologies and approaches become available that could improve the performance of your workload.
**Topics**
+ [PERF06-BP01 Stay up-to-date on new resources and services](perf_continue_having_appropriate_resource_type_keep_up_to_date.md)
+ [PERF06-BP02 Define a process to improve workload performance](perf_continue_having_appropriate_resource_type_define_process.md)
+ [PERF06-BP03 Evolve workload performance over time](perf_continue_having_appropriate_resource_type_evolve.md)
# PERF06-BP01 Stay up-to-date on new resources and services
Evaluate ways to improve performance as new services, design patterns, and product offerings become available. Determine which of these could improve performance or increase the efficiency of the workload through evaluation, internal discussion, or external analysis.
Define a process to evaluate updates, new features, and services relevant to your workload. For example, building a proof of concept that uses new technologies or consulting with an internal group. When trying new ideas or services, run performance tests to measure the impact that they have on the performance of the workload. Using infrastructure as code (IaC) and a DevOps culture to take advantage of the ability to test new ideas or technologies frequently with minimal cost or risk.
**Desired outcome:** You have documented the inventory of components, your design pattern, and your workload characteristics. You use that documentation to create a list of subscriptions to notify your team on service updates, features, and new products. You have identified component stakeholders that will evaluate the new releases and provide a recommendation for business impact and priority.
**Common anti-patterns:**
+ You only review new options and services when your workload is not meeting performance requirements.
+ You assume all new product offerings will not be useful to your workload.
+ You always choose to build as opposed to buy when improving your workload.
**Benefits of establishing this best practice:** By considering new services or product offerings, you can improve the performance and efficiency of your workload, lower the cost of the infrastructure, and reduce the effort required to maintain your services.
**Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established:** High
## Implementation guidance
Define a process to evaluate updates, new features, and services from AWS. For example, building proof-of-concepts that use new technologies. When trying new ideas or services, run performance tests to measure the impact on the efficiency or performance of the workload. Take advantage of the flexibilfity that you have in AWS to test new ideas or technologies frequently with minimal cost or risk.
## Implementation steps
1. Document your workload solutions. Use your configuration management database (CMDB) solution to document your inventory and categorize your services and dependencies. Use tools like [AWS Config](https://aws.amazon.com/config/) to get a list of all services in AWS being used by your workload.
1. Use a [tagging strategy](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/latest/tagging-best-practices/tagging-best-practices.html) to document owners for each workload component and category. For example, if you are currently using Amazon RDS as your database solution, have your database administrator (DBA) assigned and documented as the owner for evaluating and researching new services and updates.
1. Identify news and update sources related to your workload components. In the Amazon RDS example previously mentioned, the category owner should subscribe to the [What’s New at AWS blog](https://aws.amazon.com/new/) for the products that match their workload component. You can subscribe to the RSS feed or manage your [email subscriptions](https://pages.awscloud.com/communication-preferences.html). Monitor upgrades to the Amazon RDS database you use, features introduced, instances released and new products like Amazon Aurora Serverless. Monitor industry blogs, products, and vendors that the component relies on.
1. Document your process for evaluating updates and new services. Provide your category owners the time and space needed to research, test, experiment, and validate updates and new services. Refer back to the documented business requirements and KPIs to help prioritize which update will make a positive business impact.
**Level of effort for the implementation plan:** To establish this best practice, you must be aware of your current workload components, identify category owners and identify sources for service updates. This is a low level of effort to start but is an ongoing process that could evolve and improve over time.
## Resources
**Related documents:**
+ [AWS Blog](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/)
+ [What's New with AWS](https://aws.amazon.com/new/?ref=wellarchitected)
**Related videos:**
+ [AWS Events YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdoadna9HFHsxXWhafhNvKw)
+ [AWS Online Tech Talks YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/user/AWSwebinars)
+ [Amazon Web Services YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd6MoB9NC6uYN2grvUNT-Zg)
**Related examples:**
+ [AWS Github](https://github.com/aws)
+ [AWS Skill Builder](https://explore.skillbuilder.aws/learn)
# PERF06-BP02 Define a process to improve workload performance
Define a process to evaluate new services, design patterns, resource types, and configurations as they become available. For example, run existing performance tests on new instance offerings to determine their potential to improve your workload.
Your workload's performance has a few key constraints. Document these so that you know what kinds of innovation might improve the performance of your workload. Use this information when learning about new services or technology as it becomes available to identify ways to alleviate constraints or bottlenecks.
**Common anti-patterns:**
+ You assume your current architecture will become static and never update over time.
+ You introduce architecture changes over time with no metric justification.
**Benefits of establishing this best practice:** By defining your process for making architectural changes, you enable gathered data to influence your workload design over time.
**Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established:** Medium
## Implementation guidance
Identify the key performance constraints for your workload: Document your workload’s performance constraints so that you know what kinds of innovation might improve the performance of your workload.
## Resources
**Related documents:**
+ [AWS Blog](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/)
+ [What's New with AWS](https://aws.amazon.com/new/?ref=wellarchitected)
**Related videos:**
+ [AWS Events YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdoadna9HFHsxXWhafhNvKw)
+ [AWS Online Tech Talks YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/user/AWSwebinars)
+ [Amazon Web Services YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd6MoB9NC6uYN2grvUNT-Zg)
**Related examples:**
+ [AWS Github](https://github.com/aws)
+ [AWS Skill Builder](https://explore.skillbuilder.aws/learn)
# PERF06-BP03 Evolve workload performance over time
As an organization, use the information gathered through the evaluation process to actively drive adoption of new services or resources when they become available.
Use the information you gather when evaluating new services or technologies to drive change. As your business or workload changes, performance needs also change. Use data gathered from your workload metrics to evaluate areas where you can get the biggest gains in efficiency or performance, and proactively adopt new services and technologies to keep up with demand.
**Common anti-patterns:**
+ You assume that your current architecture will become static and never update over time.
+ You introduce architecture changes over time with no metric justification.
+ You change architecture just because everyone else in the industry is using it.
**Benefits of establishing this best practice:** To optimize your workload performance and cost, you must evaluate all software and services available to determine the appropriate ones for your workload.
**Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established:** Low
## Implementation guidance
Evolve your workload over time: Use the information you gather when evaluating new services or technologies to drive change. As your business or workload changes, performance needs also change. Use data gathered from your workload metrics to evaluate areas where you can achieve the biggest gains in efficiency or performance, and proactively adopt new services and technologies to keep up with demand.
## Resources
**Related documents:**
+ [AWS Blog](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/)
+ [What's New with AWS](https://aws.amazon.com/new/?ref=wellarchitected)
**Related videos:**
+ [AWS Events YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdoadna9HFHsxXWhafhNvKw)
+ [AWS Online Tech Talks YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/user/AWSwebinars)
+ [Amazon Web Services YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd6MoB9NC6uYN2grvUNT-Zg)
**Related examples:**
+ [AWS Github](https://github.com/aws)
+ [AWS Skill Builder](https://explore.skillbuilder.aws/learn)