Home > Storage > PowerStore > Databases and Data Analytics > Dell PowerStore: Microsoft SQL Server Best Practices > Thin clones
Thin clone uses a pointer-based technology to create a read/write copy of a volume, volume group, or file system. For data in a snapshot to be accessed by SQL Server, a thin clone must be created. Because the thin clone volume shares data blocks with the parent, the physical used space of the child volume is just the delta changes from after it was created. Thin clones are advantageous in a SQL Server environment because a SQL Server database can be duplicated for testing purposes, all while consuming less storage. For example, if a SQL Server admin must clone a multi-terabyte database server for a developer to run tests, the database can be isolated, tested, and only consume blocks that changed.
Within the PowerStore architecture, thin clones have several advantages for storage administrators.
When cloning databases for SQL Server, ensure all data and log volumes for the database are on the same volume or are part of the same volume group. For best practices for creating snapshots of SQL Server databases, see Data protection and disaster recovery. For more information, see the Dell PowerStore: Snapshots and Thin Clones white paper.