The correct SQL syntax to create a zero-copy clone of an existing table is:
CREATE TABLE MY_TABLE_CLONE CLONE MY_TABLE;
This command instantly creates a new table that references the same underlying micro-partitions as the original. Because of Snowflake’smetadata-only cloning, no storage is consumed at the time of creation. Storage only increases when either the original or the clone diverges through DML operations, following acopy-on-writemodel.
Cloning is available for multiple object types—tables, schemas, databases, stages, streams, tasks, and more. This capability enables rapid creation of development sandboxes, QA environments, rollback copies, or controlled experimentation without duplicating data.
Incorrect options:
“COPY TABLE” is not a valid Snowflake command.
BACKUP/RESTORE are not Snowflake SQL commands.
RESTORE applies only to Time Travel or Fail-safe, not to cloning.
Thus, the CLONE keyword is the only correct method for zero-copy duplication.
====================================================