Abstract: Apparatus and method for specifying, searching and retrieving records from a remote database over an interconnected data communications network, such as the Internet, by presenting the end user with a Web-browser based user interface screen containing a results field and a plurality of user input fields configured to receive text input from the user, the text input being related to or partially identifying a person, place, institution or other entity or thing represented by a record stored in the remote database. As the user types information into the input fields on the user interface screen, the system progressively (i.e., successively) validates the information against multiple records in the remote database (preferably in real-time and on a character by character basis), and displays the results in the results field, thereby providing the end user with valuable information concerning the number and character of the hits resulting from the data entry, while the end user is still in the data entry stage.