Abstract A consistent categorical database can be viewed as a single contingency table by taking the maximum-entropy extension of its base tables. Such a view, here called the universal table model , is needed to answer a user who wishes “cross-classified” data, that is, categorical data resulting from the combination of information contained in two or more base tables. In order to implement a universal table interface , we make use of a query-evaluation procedure; this allows for an appropriate answer to be generated whether the requested data are stored in the database or not and, then, have to be computed (i.e., estimated).