The Challenges in Traditional Cloning Methods

Cloning means making a copy of your data, like a backup or a duplicate. Before advanced tools like Snowflake’s Zero Copy Cloning, many companies used traditional cloning methods. These older methods had many problems and limitations. ________________________________________ 1. Takes a Lot of Time In traditional systems • If you want to copy a large table or full database, it can take many minutes or even hours. • You have to wait until the entire copy is done before you can start using it. Simple Example Imagine copying a big folder of 10,000 photos from your phone to your laptop. It takes time, right? Same with big databases — traditional cloning was slow. ________________________________________ 2. Uses More Storage Space Every clone in the traditional system: • Takes up separate physical space on disk • Means double storage if you make just one copy • Even more space if you make multiple copies for testing, backup, etc. Simple Example If your original table is 100 GB, each clone takes another 100 GB. So 3 clones = 300 GB extra used. This increases storage cost very fast.