Embodiments of the invention relate data retrieved from the logical fields of an abstract database using a timeline. The logical fields specified by a database abstraction model are extended to include attributes that specify where data corresponding to a logical field occurs on a timeline. Query results may be displayed by ordering query results as points (for an event) or segments (for a duration) on the timeline. Further, query processing techniques disclosed by the present invention allow users to include temporal operators such as "before", "after", "during", and "within" in an abstract query. Temporal operators provide users with the ability to include temporal relationships in an abstract query, without having to construct a complex conditional expression from more primitive logical operators (e.g., "ands" and "ors").