Database Performance Optimization: Techniques and Considerations IntroductionSystem performance is one of the most critical issues faced by businesses that handle large amounts of data. Companies use database systems and their applications to store, retrieve and manage this data. Almost all commercial database systems available today are designed to provide a high level of performance to their users. However, optimizing database performance for large volumes of data is a challenging task. Even small changes can have a substantial impact (positive or negative) on system performance (KOCH, 2014). This white paper identifies some considerations and techniques that can significantly improve the performance of systems that handle large amounts of data. Literature ReviewThere are many causes that degrade the performance of a database system. Some of the most common causes can be one or a combination of the following problems:1. Hardware problems: These could include limited amount of available disk space on the server or clients, older client operating systems, slow client or server processing speed, detected and undetected viruses on a client or server computer, network problems , excessive network traffic, bottleneck network issues, or database traffic. (Troubleshooting Guide: Known Causes of Slow Database Performance, 2014).2. Poor database application design: Poor database design can lead to serious performance problems. An application that uses large tables (for example, tables with 100,000 rows and 100 columns), poorly formatted and unoptimized queries, improper use of database connections, and so on. The database application design can be improved in several ways, as described below. :A. Normalize Database De...... middle of paper ......Five simple database design performance tips. Retrieved from expert DB2 consulting and training: http://davebeulke.com/big-data-five-simple-database-design-performance-tips/2. Bhandari, S. (2014, April 11). Reasons for slow database performance. Retrieved from DZone: http://java.dzone.com/articles/reasons-slow-database3. Dilman, M., Hu, W., Loaiza, J., & Jernigan, K. (2014, April 11). Guide to developing high performance. Excerpt from an Oracle white paper: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/performance/perf-guide-wp-final-133229.pdf4. KOCH, R. (2014, April 11). SQL database optimization for developers. Retrieved from toptal: http://www.toptal.com/sql/sql-database-tuning-for-developers5. Troubleshooting Guide: Known causes of slow database performance. (2014, April 11). Retrieved from IBM: http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21174563