Method and system for displaying a relational abstraction of a data store

A method and system for displaying a relational abstraction data store are disclosed. A relational abstraction of a data store is defined, the definition including a plurality of views, scalar or aggregate fields associated with the views, and relations between the views. The fields and relations associated with views are displayed and related to a base view through a sequence of relations. The fields displayed are constrained based upon the sequence of relations from the base view. Scalar fields are displayed where the sequence of relations does not contain a to-many relation. Aggregate fields are displayed where the sequence of relations contains at least one to-many relation. Distinct aggregate fields are displayed where the relation path sequence contains a to-many relation followed by a many-to-one relation. A field may be displayed with additional information indicating how, or whether, the fields may be used. The display of fields may be constrained in predetermined ways. The display of relations may be displayed with additional information about the nature of the relations and the sequence of the relation path. Fields and relations may be displayed using a hierarchical means of display such as in trees structures or lists, or may be displayed using a natural language description.