Method, implemented by a processing unit (6; 52) of a computer (4; 51) and/or by a programmable or reprogrammable logic circuit, for searching for association rules in a database, the database being stored in storage means (8; 53B) of the processing unit (6; 52) or in the programmable or reprogrammable logic circuit and including a set of data, the set of data being organized in the form of a list of instances, each instance being defined by a set of real numerical values taken by a predefined number of variables; the method comprising the following steps: - selecting a set of N1 variables from said variables in the list of instances, said set of N1 variables forming a set of input variables and defining an N1 -dimensional space; and selecting one variable from the remaining variables in the list of instances, said variable forming an output variable; - ordering, for each selected input variable in the list of instances, the numerical values of the instances for this variable, so as to move from a topology of real values to a topology of ordinal values for the selected input variables, each instance then being defined by a set of ranks which are associated with each one of the values of the input variables of this instance, each instance being represented by a point in said N1- dimensional space; - defining at least one modality for the selected output variable, said modality being defined as a criterion to be verified by the value of said output variable; - exploring, in subspaces of the N1 -dimensional space, right convex regions, each explored right convex region being a hyperrectangle having, on two vertices diagonally opposite each other along a large diagonal of said hyperrectangle, two points that are representative of two instances the value of the output variable of which verifies said modality, each explored right convex region further being the hyperrectangle which, in the subspace the dimension of which corresponds to the dimension of said hyperrectangle, may be unequivocally defined only by these two points; - selecting, from said explored right convex regions, regions of interest, each selected region of interest containing a number of points verifying said modality such that the density of these points is greater than a predefined threshold density, the limit values of the input variables which delimit a given region of interest defining an association rule in the database. - selecting a set of N1 variables from said variables in the list of instances, said set of N1 variables forming a set of input variables and defining an N1 -dimensional space; and selecting one variable from the remaining variables in the list of instances, said variable forming an output variable; - ordering, for each selected input variable in the list of instances, the numerical values of the instances for this variable, so as to move from a topology of real values to a topology of ordinal values for the selected input variables, each instance then being defined by a set of ranks which are associated with each one of the values of the input variables of this instance, each instance being represented by a point in said N1- dimensional space; - defining at least one modality for the selected output variable, said modality being defined as a criterion to be verified by the value of said output variable; - exploring, in subspaces of the N1 -dimensional space, right convex regions, each explored right convex region being a hyperrectangle having, on two vertices diagonally opposite each other along a large diagonal of said hyperrectangle, two points that are representative of two instances the value of the output variable of which verifies said modality, each explored right convex region further being the hyperrectangle which, in the subspace the dimension of which corresponds to the dimension of said hyperrectangle, may be unequivocally defined only by these two points; - selecting, from said explored right convex regions, regions of interest, each selected region of interest containing a number of points verifying said modality such that the density of these points is greater than a predefined threshold density, the limit values of the input variables which delimit a given region of interest defining an association rule in the database.