Off-loading I/O and computationally intensive operations to secondary systems

A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code for operating a database in a database environment comprising a first database accessible to a first database server, and a second database accessible to a second database server, wherein said second database is substantially a copy of said first database, said computer program product including:

• computer usable program code for determining, by said first database server, whether to off-load a database operation which would access said first database to said second database server;
• computer usable program code for, in response to determining to off-load said database operation, sending a command to said second database server to perform said database operation;
• and
• computer usable program code for receiving a result of said database operation from said second database server.

A database environment, comprising:

• a first database accessible to a first database server;
• one or more secondary databases accessible to one or more secondary database servers, respectively;
• data that is replicated from said first database to said one or more secondary databases, wherein said one or more secondary databases are substantially a copy of said first database;
• a database operation which, if performed at said first database server, would access said first database;
• a command from said first database server to one secondary database server of said secondary database servers to perform said database operation;
• and
• a result, at said first database server, of said database operation from said one secondary database server.