1. A method of operating a distributed database comprising a plurality of database nodes each storing a plurality of data objects, the method comprising: when executing a database transaction that requires data operations be performed on a plurality of data objects that are distributed between at least two of the database nodes, grouping the data objects that are involved in the database transaction at one of the plurality of database nodes; the grouping of the data objects at one of the plurality of database nodes comprises storing the data objects that are involved in the database transaction as a data object group at the one of the plurality of database nodes; associating a group duration threshold timer with the data object group; starting the group duration threshold timer when the data object group is one of created and modified by one of adding and removing at least one data object to the data object group; when the group duration threshold timer expires, distributing the data objects that are part of the data object group to at least two of the database nodes; and discontinuing an association between the data objects that are part of the data object group such that any of the data objects can be one of subsequently moved to a different database and subsequently associated with a different data object group.