Database snapshots provide a way to view the records in a database as they were at a specific point in time. This read-only copy of the data preserves the state of the information, which can be useful for reporting or auditing since these activities can occur on the snapshot without impacting the source database. Multiple snapshots can be taken at different points in time, which is useful for performing period over period analyses.
SQL Server Management Studio does not provide a graphical interface for creating snapshots, so the only way to create them is using some TSQL commands. You need the clause AS SNAPSHOT OF, and then the name of the source database. Once created, the snapshot database will be placed in the Database Snapshots folder. Snapshot database are read-only. Have to delete all snapshot databases if you want to delete the original database.
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