Refer from: http://docs.oracle.com/cd/B19306_01/network.102/b14212/performance.htm
Problem Statement:
The select operation is too slow compared with expected value.
Session Data Unit(SDU):
Under typical database configuration, Oracle Net encapsulates data into buffers the size of the session data unit (SDU) before sending the data across the network. Oracle Net sends each buffer when it is filled, flushed, or when an application tries to read data.
The SDU size you choose should be 70 bytes larger than the predominant message size, as long as the maximum SDU size is not exceeded. The SDU size can range from 512 bytes to 32767 bytes. If the DEFAULT_SDU_SIZE parameter is not configured in the