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.