Patent ID: 8260796

Claim:
A method, comprising: receiving a data search request specifying at least one database to search for data; searching in a local database, upon indication that the local database is included in the at least one database specified in the data search request, for each data entry in the local database corresponding to the data search request; querying via a wireless connection a remote database manager to search in a remote database, upon indication that the remote database is included in the at least one database specified in the data search request, for each data entry in the remote database corresponding to the data search request; determining if the data entries from the local database and the data entries from the remote database corresponding to the data search request exceed a threshold of an amount of data that can be displayed simultaneously on a display of a handheld device; refining the data search request if the data entries from the local database and the data entries from the remote database corresponding to the data search request exceed the threshold; repeating said searching, querying, determining, and refining until said data entries do not exceed the threshold; retrieving, from the local database, data entries found in the searching fulfilling the requirements of the data search request as refined; receiving, from the remote database via the wireless connection, data entries found in the querying fulfilling the requirements of the data search request as refined; and merging the retrieved and received data entries.