A method involves receiving, from a user, a user query for data contained within a multi-dimensional dataset comprising a plurality of data objects, generating a multi-dimensional search box for use in searching the multi-dimensional dataset according to the user query, wherein the size of the multi-dimensional search box is approximated based upon a percentage of the scale of the dataset and upon the standard deviation of the data object distribution of the dataset, searching the multi-dimensional dataset using the multi-dimensional search box, and returning, to the user, data from the multi-dimensional dataset contained within the multi-dimensional search box. The multi-dimensional search box may be generated in part by modeling the range of values as an arbitrary start point within the multi-dimensional data set with extents that are Gaussian distributed with a standard deviation less than the scale of the data set.