diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
index cb853434d761..313dfc1cefc5 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
@@ -966,22 +966,33 @@ static int syscall_fmt__cmp(const void *name, const void *fmtp)
 	return strcmp(name, fmt->name);
 }
 
+static struct syscall_fmt *__syscall_fmt__find(struct syscall_fmt *fmts, const int nmemb, const char *name)
+{
+	return bsearch(name, fmts, nmemb, sizeof(struct syscall_fmt), syscall_fmt__cmp);
+}
+
 static struct syscall_fmt *syscall_fmt__find(const char *name)
 {
 	const int nmemb = ARRAY_SIZE(syscall_fmts);
-	return bsearch(name, syscall_fmts, nmemb, sizeof(struct syscall_fmt), syscall_fmt__cmp);
+	return __syscall_fmt__find(syscall_fmts, nmemb, name);
+}
+
+static struct syscall_fmt *__syscall_fmt__find_by_alias(struct syscall_fmt *fmts, const int nmemb, const char *alias)
+{
+	int i;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < nmemb; ++i) {
+		if (fmts[i].alias && strcmp(fmts[i].alias, alias) == 0)
+			return &fmts[i];
+	}
+
+	return NULL;
 }
 
 static struct syscall_fmt *syscall_fmt__find_by_alias(const char *alias)
 {
-	int i, nmemb = ARRAY_SIZE(syscall_fmts);
-
-	for (i = 0; i < nmemb; ++i) {
-		if (syscall_fmts[i].alias && strcmp(syscall_fmts[i].alias, alias) == 0)
-			return &syscall_fmts[i];
-	}
-
-	return NULL;
+	const int nmemb = ARRAY_SIZE(syscall_fmts);
+	return __syscall_fmt__find_by_alias(syscall_fmts, nmemb, alias);
 }
 
 /*