When you create a clone using CREATE TABLE test.FactSales AS CLONE OF Dbo.FactSales, which statement is true?

• A. A replica of dbo.FactSales is created in the test schema by copying the metadata only
• B. Additional schema changes to dbo.FactSales will also apply to test.factSales
• C. Additional data changes to dbo.FactSales will also apply to test.factSales
• D. The data in test.factSales is a full copy of dbo.FactSales at clone time

Answer: (A)

Zero-copy cloning creates a new table that mirrors the source’s structure at the moment of the clone, but does not duplicate the actual data. The clone and the source share the same underlying storage initially, so no full data copy is made; only the metadata (table shape, columns, types) is captured for the new table. Because the clone’s metadata is established at clone time, subsequent schema changes to the source don’t automatically propagate to the clone unless you apply them there as well. Likewise, data changes to the source don’t automatically appear in the clone—each table can diverge once either is modified, via copy-on-write behavior. Therefore, the statement that this creates a replica by copying metadata only is the right description: you get a metadata-level replica without copying the data. The other statements are not true because schema changes don’t auto-propagate, data changes don’t automatically apply, and there isn’t a full data copy made at clone time.