An implementation of SVM functionality integrated into a relational database management system (RDBMS) improves efficiency, time consumption, and data security, reduces the parameter tuning challenges presented to the inexperienced user, and reduces the computational costs of building SVM models. A database management system comprises data stored in the database management system and a processing unit comprising a client application programming interface operable to provide an interface to client software, a build unit operable to build a support vector machine model on at least a portion of the data stored in the database management system, and an apply unit operable to apply the support vector machine model using the data stored in the database management system. The database management system may be a relational database management system.