1. A method for processing a data set containing samples and features, comprising: loading a portion of the samples and each of the features into a database application; defining useful predictors using a feature-selection prediction model, the useful predictors corresponding to a portion of the features; loading the useful predictors and each of the samples into a database application; and determining prediction results by processing the feature-selection prediction model against the samples and useful predictors contained in the database application; wherein the data set is too large for all of the samples and all of the features to be loaded into the database application simultaneously.