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Database searches are usually performed with query languages and form fill in templates, with results displayed in tabular lists. However, excitement is building around dynamic queries sliders and other graphical selectors for query specification, with results displayed by information visualization techniques. These filtering techniques have proven to be effective for many tasks in which visual presentations enable discovery of relationships, clusters, outliers, gaps, and other patterns. Scaling visual presentations from millions to billions of records will require collaborative research efforts in information visualization and database management to enable rapid aggregation, meaningful coordinated windows, and effective summary graphics. This paper describes current and proposed solutions (atomic, aggregated, and density plots) that facilitate sense-making for interactive visual exploration of billion record data sets.
Ben Shneiderman (Mon,) studied this question.