Patent ID: 7539668

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of ordering query results, comprising: in response to a query issued by a requesting entity: receiving a list of data records ordered according to an initial order, the list of data records defining a result set for the query; identifying an analysis routine configured for processing the result set of the query; determining a suitability score for each data record in the list, the suitability score indicating a relative suitability of the data record as input to the identified analysis routine; wherein determining a suitability score for each data record comprises: identifying row qualifiers, each indicating a possible input field of the identified analysis routine; wherein each data record of the list of data records comprises one or more result fields; and at least one of the row qualifiers associates a given possible input field of the identified analysis routine with a corresponding preferred input value; and for each data record in the list: determining a relative proximity between the preferred input value of the given possible input field and a corresponding value of a matching result field of the data record; whereby the suitability score of a given data record in the list is determined on the basis of the identified row qualifiers and on the basis of the determined relative proximities; sorting the received list of data records on the basis of the determined suitability scores; and inputting the sorted list of data records to the identified analysis routine.