Prefix wildcards might cause performance issues.

When using prefix wildcards in searches, performance issues can arise because the search engine has to evaluate more data to find matching results. A prefix wildcard, which typically appears at the beginning of a search term (for instance, "*searchterm"), requires the search to look at every potential match from the start of every word or token in the indexed data. This approach can significantly slow down search performance because the system cannot effectively utilize indexing for quicker lookups.

In contrast, searches that specify a complete term or that use suffix wildcards (which allow for faster lookups) create a more efficient pathway for the search engine. This difference in processing demands illustrates why using prefix wildcards is linked to decreased search performance, confirming that the initial statement is indeed true.