Oracle Database 10g includes a new tool called the SQL Tuning Advisor. This tool performs advanced optimization analysis on selected SQL statements, using workloads that have been automatically collected into the Automatic Workload Repository (AWR) or that you have specified yourself. Once the optimization is done, the SQL Tuning Advisor makes recommendations, which could include updating statistics, adding indexes, or creating an SQL Profile. This Profile is stored in the database and is used as the optimization plan for future executions of the statement, which allows you to "fix" errant SQL plans without having to touch the underlying SQL.