A database usage visualization method to be performed by a computer being in a local or remote communication to a database, said method comprising: i) determining the type of a database access event and determining a database record affected by the access event; ii) generating a first display signal configured to cause a display device coupled to a graphical processing unit of said computer to display a virtual physical environment (100, 400) simulating a physical system and comprising a virtual physical object (110, 112, 410-416) corresponding to a database object comprising or which is to comprise the database record affected by the access event; and iii) transmitting the first display signal to the display device; characterised in that the method further comprises: iv) configuring the first display signal to cause the display device to display a plurality of virtual particles (120, 122, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430) in the virtual physical environment (100, 400), each virtual particle (120, 122, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430) corresponding to a said database record affected by a said access event; v) determining a movement of each virtual particle (120, 122, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430) relative to the virtual physical object (110, 112, 410-416) within the virtual physical environment (100, 400), based on rules of the virtual physical environment (100, 400) and the database access events types; vi) generating a second display signal configured to cause the display device to display an animation of the movement of the virtual particles (120, 122, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430) within the virtual physical environment (100, 400); and vii) transmitting the second display signal to the display device; whereby errors, access patterns and bottlenecks are displayed to the user based on movement patterns of the virtual particles (120, 122, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430) within the virtual physical environment (100, 400) and simultaneously database activity is shown at the level of individual transactions by the movements of individual particles (120, 122, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430); and while a virtual particle is visible, the virtual particle (120, 122, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430) is selectable by the user to obtain information about the virtual particle. i) determining the type of a database access event and determining a database record affected by the access event; ii) generating a first display signal configured to cause a display device coupled to a graphical processing unit of said computer to display a virtual physical environment (100, 400) simulating a physical system and comprising a virtual physical object (110, 112, 410-416) corresponding to a database object comprising or which is to comprise the database record affected by the access event; and iii) transmitting the first display signal to the display device; iv) configuring the first display signal to cause the display device to display a plurality of virtual particles (120, 122, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430) in the virtual physical environment (100, 400), each virtual particle (120, 122, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430) corresponding to a said database record affected by a said access event; v) determining a movement of each virtual particle (120, 122, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430) relative to the virtual physical object (110, 112, 410-416) within the virtual physical environment (100, 400), based on rules of the virtual physical environment (100, 400) and the database access events types; vi) generating a second display signal configured to cause the display device to display an animation of the movement of the virtual particles (120, 122, 420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430) within the virtual physical environment (100, 400); and vii) transmitting the second display signal to the display device;