1. In a database system having a transaction log which is shared among multiple transactions, a method for storing log records describing changes occurring in a database in a manner that reduces contention among transactions for said transaction log, the method comprising: creating log records describing changes to said database for a given transaction; upon receiving for said given transaction a command which commits changes to said database, placing a request for storing log records of said given transaction in a request queue; removing said request of said given transaction from said request queue and transferring said log records from said given transaction to a shared cache, said shared cache for storing log records from multiple transactions before said log records are written to said transaction log; writing said log records from said shared cache to said transaction log; and committing any changes to said database made by said given transaction to said database after all log records for said given transaction have been written to said transaction log.