+**Pre-filtering** means LanceDB applies the metadata `where(...)` condition before running vector search, so the search only considers rows that already match the filter. **Post-filtering** means LanceDB runs vector search first and only then filters the returned candidates. Pre-filtering is enabled by default. In practice, pre-filtering is better when the filter is part of the result contract; post-filtering can be lower-latency for expensive or non-indexable filters, but it can return fewer than `limit` rows, or even zero, if the nearest neighbors do not pass the filter.
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