  Effective information disclosure in the context of databases with a large
conceptual schema is known to be a non-trivial problem. In particular the
formulation of ad-hoc queries is a major problem in such contexts. Existing
approaches for tackling this problem include graphical query interfaces, query
by navigation, query by construction, and point to point queries. In this
report we propose an adoption of the query by navigation mechanism that is
especially geared towards the InfoAssistant product. Query by navigation is
based on ideas from the information retrieval world, in particular on the
stratified hypermedia architecture. When using our approach to the formulations
of queries, a user will first formulate a number of simple queries
corresponding to linear paths through the information structure. The
formulation of the linear paths is the result of the {\em explorative phase} of
the query formulation. Once users have specified a number of these linear
paths, they may combine them to form more complex queries. Examples of such
combinations are: concatenation, union, intersection and selection. This last
process is referred to as {\em query by construction}, and is the {\em
constructive phase} of the query formulation process.
