The AWR excerpt points to excessive physical reads on the SALES table and index, suggesting the need for optimizing table storage and access.

Partitioning the SALES table (A) can reduce 'db file sequential read' waits by breaking down the large SALES table into smaller, more manageable pieces. This can localize the data and reduce the I/O necessary for query operations.

Compressing the SALES table (D) can also help reduce I/O by minimizing the amount of data that needs to be read from disk. This can also improve cache utilization and reduce the 'db file sequential read' waits.

References:

Oracle Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide, 19c

Oracle Database Administrator’s Guide, 19c

These changes are recommended based on Oracle's best practices for managing large tables and reducing I/O waits, ensuring better performance and efficiency.