There is provided a method and system generate rules and identify data items. The system receives an aspect that is used to describe a data item and a request for at least one candidate value to associate with the aspect. Next, the system identifies a string of text in a database based on the aspect, analyzes the string of text based on the aspect to identify at least one candidate value in the string of text and receives a selection identifying a candidate value. Next, the system generates a rule that includes the aspect-value pair that includes the aspect and the selected candidate value. Next, system associates the aspect-value pair to a first data item based on a publication of the rule. Next, the system receives a query, associates the aspect-value pair to the query, based on the rule, generates a second query that includes the aspect-value pair and identifies the first data item based on the aspect-value pair in the second query for an interface that includes the first data item.