Optimize validation for large datasets

**Description**
Currently utils lacks proper search support.

**Proposed solution**
Add configurable search with sensible defaults.

**Priority**: Low/Medium

Start by locating the utils validation code and tracing how large datasets are handled. Clarify the intended search behavior, configuration surface, and sensible defaults before making changes. Done means search support is configurable and behaves correctly with the chosen defaults.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.