Obtaining alumni data from a database includes storing standardized alumni data in alumni data profiles, receiving a selected data entity representing an institution, searching the alumni data profiles to locate the profiles of alumni of the institution, determining a plurality of ranked sets of data by searching the profiles of alumni of the institution, and displaying each of the elements of the plurality of ranked sets of data respectively as elements in a plurality of facets. The elements in the plurality of facets may be displayed visually as a graphics display. A further operation may include receiving a selected data entity representing an element of a first facet and, responsive to receiving the selected data entity, displaying, at each of the facets of the plurality of facets other than the first facet, the elements of the facet ranked in order of the number of alumni in each element of the facet.