1. A method for use in a computer system capable of taking actions with regard to data objects, the method comprising: determining a rule type that is needed by a computer system in selecting a particular action to be taken with regard to a data object; identifying an access procedure associated with the rule type that specifies which query attributes are to be used, the access procedure comprising a sequence of access rules, each of which access rules identifies at least one of the query attributes to be used; retrieving the query attributes from a context associated with the data object; searching an attribute database with at least one of the query attributes identified by a first access rule of the access procedure; and if the at least one of the query attributes identified by the first access rule matches a first attribute set in the attribute database, accessing in a rule database a first rule that belongs to the rule type and that is identified by the first attribute set, the first rule specifying the particular action to be taken by the computer system with regard to the data object, wherein each of a plurality of rules in the rule database is capable of being identified by any of a plurality of attribute sets in the attribute database.