What is the best option to clone a table named MYTABLE?

• A. CREATE TABLE MYTABLE_2 CLONE MYTABLE
• B. CREATE TABLE MYTABLE_2 AS SELECT * FROM MYTABLE
• C. CREATE TABLE MYTABLE_2 AS INSERT INTO MYTABLE VALUES (SELECT * FROM MYTABLE)
• D. CREATE TABLE MYTABLE_2 LIKE MYTABLE

Answer: (A)

Cloning in Snowflake creates a new table object that initially shares the same underlying data as the source, without physically duplicating the data. This zero-copy mechanism makes it the fastest and most storage-efficient way to duplicate a table for testing, development, or backups, while preserving the exact structure and data as of the clone moment.

Using the CLONE option in a CREATE TABLE statement produces a new table that is identical to the source at the time of cloning. The new table can diverge from the source if changes are made later, but it starts as an exact snapshot.

The other methods either copy all data into a new table (which takes time and storage) or copy only the schema without data, or use invalid syntax for cloning. Therefore, cloning the table is the best approach.