About clones of VMware VMs or Microsoft SQL Server databases
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A clone is a full copy of a managed application. Unlike LiveClones, clones
cannot be refreshed and they don't permit prep-mounting. A clone consumes as
much storage as the original application data. This is different from a mount
operation which uses a virtual copy that does not require additional storage.
Use the clone function to create an independent copy of a dataset.
The most common uses are the following:
Application development and testing
Data audit for compliance
Data warehousing
E-discovery
User acceptance testing
A clone of a VMware VM backup creates an entirely new VMware VM that has no
dependency on the backup/recovery appliance. It is very similar to a restore
operation in that it needs to copy all the data before the VM is available.
See Clone an image of a VMware VM.
A clone of a Microsoft SQL server database creates an entirely new database
that has no dependency on the backup/recovery appliance. It is very similar
to a restore operation in that it needs to copy all the data before the
database is available. See Clone Microsoft SQL Server Databases.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-25 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eClones are full, independent copies of managed applications, consuming the same storage as the original data and are distinct from mount operations.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eClones are not refreshable and do not allow prep-mounting, setting them apart from LiveClones.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eCommon applications of clones include development, testing, data auditing, warehousing, e-discovery, and user acceptance testing.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eCreating a clone of a VMware VM or a Microsoft SQL server database results in an entirely new, independent instance that requires copying all data.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# About clones of VMware VMs or Microsoft SQL Server databases\n\nA clone is a full copy of a managed application. Unlike LiveClones, clones\ncannot be refreshed and they don't permit prep-mounting. A clone consumes as\nmuch storage as the original application data. This is different from a mount\noperation which uses a virtual copy that does not require additional storage.\n\nUse the clone function to create an independent copy of a dataset.\nThe most common uses are the following:\n\n- Application development and testing\n- Data audit for compliance\n- Data warehousing\n- E-discovery\n- User acceptance testing\n\nA clone of a VMware VM backup creates an entirely new VMware VM that has no\ndependency on the backup/recovery appliance. It is very similar to a restore\noperation in that it needs to copy all the data before the VM is available.\nSee [Clone an image of a VMware VM](/backup-disaster-recovery/docs/access-data/clone-image-of-a-vm).\n\nA clone of a Microsoft SQL server database creates an entirely new database\nthat has no dependency on the backup/recovery appliance. It is very similar\nto a restore operation in that it needs to copy all the data before the\ndatabase is available. See [Clone Microsoft SQL Server Databases](/backup-disaster-recovery/docs/restore-data/sql-cloning)."]]
