Various systems and methods provide an intuitive user interface that enables automatic specification of queries and constraints for analysis by ML component. Various implementations provide methodologies for automatically formulating machine learning (“ML”) and optimization queries. The automatic generation of ML and/or optimization queries can be configured to use examples to facilitate formulation of ML and optimization queries. One example method includes accepting input data specifying variables and data values associated with the variables. Within the input data any unspecified data records are identified, and a relationship between the variables specified in the input data and a variable associated with the at least one unspecified data record is automatically determined. The relationship can be automatically determined based on training data contained within the input data. Once a relationship is established a ML problem can be automatically generated.