The asterisk is used for prefix searching in a query.
An asterisk can occur at the end of the query string, or be followed by a space, ampersand, vertical bar, closing bracket, or closing quotation mark. Any other usage of asterisk returns an error.
The table "Asterisk interpretations" shows allowable asterisk usage:
| Query string | Equivalent to | Interpreted as |
|---|---|---|
| 'th*&best' | 'th* AND best' and 'th* best' | Find any term beginning with th, and the term best. |
| 'th*|best' | 'th* OR best' | Find either any term beginning with th, or the term best. |
| 'very&(best|th*)' | 'very AND (best OR th*)' | Find the term very, and the term best or any term beginning with th. |
| '"fast auto*"' | Find the term fast, immediately followed by a term beginning with auto. | |
| '"auto* price"' | Find a term beginning with auto, immediately followed by the term price. |