Abstract: A data processing system is disclosed to automatically query databases. The invention provides an Automatically Relaxable Query (ARQ) which includes a list of query conditions ordered in descending degree of importance. First, the database is queried on the first condition of the ARQ; if any object is found, the system labels this first condition. Then, the system proceeds with a query composed of all the conditions labelled previously in conjunction with the next condition of the ARQ; if any object is found then this next condition is labelled. And so on, in order, for all the remaining conditions of the ARQ until a predetermined termination condition is achieved. Finally, the system reports which conditions were labelled, and if the query composed of the labelled conditions matches only few objects of the database, they are automatically retrieved. The automatic querying with an ARQ enables faster searches, minimizes interaction between database and user and permits offline preparation of the search.