23. A system for retrieving a record of an item in an information database in response to an input string of target words, the system comprising: means for comparing each word contained in the input string of target words with words contained in a search expression database associated with the information database; means for generating a set of search expressions for each one of multiple ordered queries, each search expression including words from the search expression database for providing an equivalent representation of one or more of the input string of target words; means for retrieving records from the information database, each record retrieved in each of the multiple ordered queries containing the set of search expressions respectively generated for one of the multiple ordered queries, the multiple ordered queries being arranged in order of a most restrictive query to a least restrictive query; and means for selecting in accordance with a predetermined parameter a retrieved one of the records that best matches the input string of target words.
23. A system for retrieving a record of an item in an information database in response to an input string of target words, the system comprising: means for comparing each word contained in the input string of target words with words contained in a search expression database associated with the information database; means for generating a set of search expressions for each one of multiple ordered queries, each search expression including words from the search expression database for providing an equivalent representation of one or more of the input string of target words; means for retrieving records from the information database, each record retrieved in each of the multiple ordered queries containing the set of search expressions respectively generated for one of the multiple ordered queries, the multiple ordered queries being arranged in order of a most restrictive query to a least restrictive query; and means for selecting in accordance with a predetermined parameter a retrieved one of the records that best matches the input string of target words. 25. The system of claim 23 wherein the predetermined parameter comprises a closeness value indicator assigned to each record retrieved in the information database.