A system for maintaining a meta-database including meta-data representing decentralized data from source databases, which cause inefficient selection of modeling data and/or variables. Each of source and meta-data interfaces communicate with the respective database(s). A key variable repository module operably couples the databases and includes an AI program with a scanner algorithm and a profiler algorithm. The scanner algorithm receives the source data from the source interface, compresses the data, and synchronizes the data with the meta-data using the meta-database interface. The profiler algorithm receives the meta-data from the meta-database interface, generates granular data types for the meta-data, determines variables indicative of the meta-data, generates variable probability distributions, produces variable associations, and modifies the meta-database to include the probability distributions and associations using the meta-data interface. The key interface allows for searching the meta-database for variables, variable probability distributions, and/or variable associations to more efficiency select modeling data and/or variables.