A system and methods rank results of database queries. An automated
approach for ranking database query results is disclosed that leverages
data and workload statistics and associations. Ranking functions are
based upon the principles of probabilistic models from Information
Retrieval that are adapted for structured data. The ranking functions are
encoded into an intermediate knowledge representation layer. The system
is generic, as the ranking functions can be further customized for
different applications. Benefits of the disclosed system and methods
include the use of adapted probabilistic information retrieval (PIR)
techniques that leverage relational/structured data, such as columns, to
provide natural groupings of data values. This permits the inference and
use of pair-wise associations between data values across columns, which
are usually not possible with text data.