Sensitivity of the physical database design to changes in underlying factors

Several articles have reported on the optimization of the complete physical database design or significant parts of it. However, few results are available on the sensitivity of the physical database design to change in underlying factors that influence the design decisions. Such tenths would be of significant practical value in both the design of the initial physical database and its subsequent restructuring. This paper considers underlying factors related to logical data structure, queries, computer system and physical implementation. An experimental design based on these factors is developed and experiments are conducted to determine the sensitivity effects, and these are reported and discussed.