Though the index is based on words, it is possible to use wildcards when needed, albeit a little carefully. Take a look at some interesting facts about wildcards:
Only trailing wildcards are efficient: Stated simply,
bob*will find events containing Bobby efficiently, but*byor*ob*will not. The latter cases will scan all events in the time frame specified.Wildcards are tested last: Wildcards are tested after all other terms. Given the search:
authclass *ob* hello world, all other terms besides*ob*will be searched first. The more you can limit the results using full words and fields, the better your search will perform.