A system to query databases using diagrams as a standard user interface is proposed. The system, called Query by Diagram* (QBD*), makes use of a conceptual data model, a query language on this model, and a graphical user interface. The conceptual model is the entity-relationship model. The query language, whose expressive power allows recursive queries, supports visual interaction. The main characteristics of the interface are ease of use and the availability of a rich set of primitives for schema selection and query formulation. The expressive power of QBD* and G/sup +/, which are the only languages allowing recursive queries to be expressed graphically are compared. >