An automated method and system for identifying date-sensitive entries in a database wherein an obligation must be satisfied relative to the entry according to instructions provided by the beneficiary of the obligation. The method and system of the invention can be practiced from a location remote from the database and are particularly useful in a number of situations and particularly those wherein unticketed reservations are maintained in a storage medium for a time prior to issuance of a ticket to "firm up" the reservation to a ticketed status. The present system and methodology finds particular utility enforcing ticketing time limit rules on travel agency or other reservation and ticket issuers involved in the reserving and ticketing of airline bookings and the like and results in the reduction of no-shows and overbooking while increasing onboard load factors on sold-out flights in particular. The automated system of the invention is capable of operating essentially continually throughout seven days a week and twenty-four hours each day to constantly "firm" all or selected flights of a given carrier. Enforcement of ticket time limit rules can extend at the option of a user to booking class, market, point of sale and the like or any combination thereof.