A novel approach to describe the knowledge discovery process, focusing on a generalized form of attribute called view, is presented. It is observed that the process of knowledge discovery can, in fact, be modeled as the design, generation, use, and evaluation of views, asserting that views are the fundamental building blocks in the discovery process. Also, we note that the trial-and-error cycle inherent in any knowledge discovery process, can be formulated as the composing and decomposing of views. To assist this cycle, a programming language called VML (View Modeling Language) was designed, providing facilities for this purpose. Following this view oriented perspective, we describe our approach to the problem of characterizing N-terminal protein sorting signals in which we have obtained significant results.