Search Optimization can enable significant cost savings when selectively applied to workloads that heavily rely on point-lookup queries. By improving lookup efficiency, it allows smaller warehouses to satisfy performance SLAs, reducing credit consumption.

However, inefficiencies arise when:

• Search Optimization is not enabled on critical lookup-heavy tables, forcing oversized warehouses.
• It is enabled unnecessarily on infrequently queried data, adding avoidable costs.
• Warehouse sizing is not adjusted after Search Optimization is implemented, missing the primary cost-saving opportunity.

Regular review of query patterns and warehouse sizing is essential to maximize the intended benefit of Search Optimization.