PURPOSE: To output a desired record with reduction of the overall time required for comparison of conditions by deciding the order of comparison requiring a short time as a whole in consideration of the time required for comparison.

CONSTITUTION: A data base retrieving device is provided with a retrieving conditions 101, a retrieving condition analyzing means 102, a table defining information store area 103, a maximum/minimum value store area 104, a relative comparison time deciding means 105, a relative comparison time store area 106, a probability deciding means 107, a comparison order deciding means 108, a record store area 109, a data base retrieving means 110, and an output means 111. Then the condition comparison order is decided to reduce the time required for decision of all conditions based on the probability not to satisfy the conditions of each column and the time required for comparison of each column. Thus a record that satisfies the retrieving conditions is decided. In such a constitution, the overall time required for comparison of conditions can be reduced and a desired record is outputted.