1. A process implemented by a computer system for generating a physical design for a database, the database to include data records and index records, the index records to access data stored in the data records, comprising: retrieving a set of expert rules from a memory of the computer system; accepting a logical schema as input, said logical schema to describe a logical arrangement of the database; accepting a data volume definition as input, said data volume definition to describe an amount of data to be stored in the database; defining a plurality of first operations, each first operation of said plurality of first operations to access the data of the database; accepting a first workload description as input, said first workload description to specify a first workload for each first operation of said plurality of first operations; grouping selected first operations of said plurality of first operations into a plurality of second operations, each second operation including at least one first operation, and each first operation being grouped in at least one second operation; accepting a second workload description as input, said second workload description to specify a second workload for each second operation of said plurality of second operations; grouping selected second operations of said plurality of second operations into a plurality of third operations, each third operation including at least one second operation, and each second operation being grouped in at least one third operation; accepting a third workload description as input, said third workload description to specify a third workload for each third operation of said plurality of third operations; selectively applying said set of expert rules to said logical schema and said data volume description and said first workload description and said second workload description and said third workload description to generate the physical design of the database, the physical design to specify how the data will be physically stored in the data records and how the data records are accessed by the index records.