Let us continue our question of the day series with day twenty-seven.

What are database snapshots?

A SQL Server database snapshot is a static view that is essentially a read-only image of an existing database.  When the snapshot is taken it is consistent with the original database and must reside on the same server and as data is modified in the original database, so will it be modified in the snapshot.  There are quite a few limitations in using database snapshots.

Enjoy!