1. A computer-implemented process for semi-automatically finding a minimum set of configurations that reproduces a database problem, comprising: (a) inputting a configuration comprising a set of inputs, a set of database execution components and a problem specification; (b) simplifying the input configuration comprised of the set of inputs, the set of database execution components and the problem specification or a previously simplified input configuration into a set of simpler configurations; (c) testing one of the simpler configurations, to find if the simpler configuration reproduces the database problem; (d) storing any simpler configuration that reproduces the problem; (e) choosing another simpler configuration, and repeating (b) through (d) until all simpler configurations have been tested or a desired termination condition has been met; and (f) choosing the simplest configuration from the stored simple configurations that reproduces the problem.