A method, apparatus and program product to optimize a database query. In a first system having a first dataspace, a query plan is generated for the database query. Remote statistics collection associated with the database query is initiated on a second system having a second dataspace. The remote statistics collection uses the second dataspace, which includes a current copy of at least a portion of the first dataspace on the first system. Database statistics are collected for the first system by analyzing the second dataspace and then communicating the collected database statistics to the first system for use in optimizing database queries executed by the first system.