What it is: MongoDB Queryable Encryption is a groundbreaking, industry-first technology. It enables customers to encrypt sensitive data while running expressive queries on it without requiring any decryption. Queryable Encryption now supports prefix, suffix, and substring queries on encrypted fields, generally available in MongoDB Atlas, Enterprise Advanced, and Community Edition. 

• Prefix queries match field values that begin with a specified sequence of characters

• Suffix queries match values that end with a specified sequence

• Substring queries match a specified sequence appearing anywhere within a field of up to 50 characters, using search terms between 2 and 6 characters. 

These query types join the equality and range queries that Queryable Encryption already supports.

Who it’s for: Any organization that deals with sensitive or regulated data could benefit from using Queryable Encryption to protect their data while it is in use. This includes those in highly regulated industries such as financial services, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure that need to comply with regulations like GDPR, CCPA, or HIPAA.

Why it matters: With prefix, suffix, and substring queries now generally available, organizations can run everyday search patterns, such as partial ID validation, partial name lookup, and autocomplete, directly on sensitive fields without ever decrypting the underlying data. This unlocks use cases like verifying identity using the last digits of a Social Security Number or retrieving records by a case number prefix, all while keeping the data encrypted throughout the query lifecycle.