1. A computer program product comprising a volatile or non-volatile computer usable medium having executable code to execute a process for optimizing a query statement, the process comprising: storing a profile for the query statement in a data structure on a tangible computer usable medium or a computer storage device separately from the query statement; optimizing, by using a processor of a computer, the query statement using at least the profile, wherein the profile comprises: a tuning action for guiding generation or changing of an execution plan for the query statement without modifying the query statement; a statement signature to identify the query statement for retrieval of the profile for the query statement during compilation of the query statement; and tuning data to tune the query statement based at least in part on execution history of the query statement from at least one request with the query statement, wherein the at least one request was executed prior to a current compilation of the query statement, and without modifying the query statement, the tuning data are used to identify at least one optimizer setting for the current compilation of the query statement to generate or change the execution plan for the query statement.