1. A computer-implemented method for tuning a database server, implemented in a computer system that includes a production server that processes incoming service requests and returns appropriate data from a database accessed by the database server, and a test server, the method comprising the following acts: preparing a database for use by the test server that is based on the database accessed by the production server; preparing for the test server an initial configuration that is a copy of a configuration in use at the production server; receiving at a virtualization connection incoming service request traffic; cloning at the virtualization connection the incoming service request traffic so that the incoming traffic request is provided to the production server, and a cloned copy of the incoming traffic request is directly provided in real-time from the virtualization connection to the test server, so that both the production server and the test server process the same incoming traffic requests; at the test server, testing the cloned incoming service request traffic using one or more new database configurations that differ from the initial configuration copied from the production server; recording in a hierarchy various of the one or more new database configurations tested; at the test server, navigating the hierarchy to a selected one of the new configurations tested that improves processing for the incoming service request traffic; and using the selected new tested configuration to thereafter process incoming service request traffic for the database accessed by the production server.