Cloning catalog objects

1. A system, comprising:

one or more storage devices to store an original database table associated with data, wherein the original database table stores the data in a plurality of files and a first plurality of metadata that summarizes at least some of the data content of at least some of the plurality of files; and

one or more processors, operatively coupled with the one or more storage devices, to:

create a duplicate database table of the original database table associated with the data without duplicating the data itself by copying metadata of the first plurality of metadata to create a second plurality of metadata for each of the plurality of files,

modify a piece of data in the duplicate database table by modifying the piece of data in a duplicate one of the plurality of files, and

update the second plurality of metadata to reference the duplicate one of the plurality of files.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system can determine whether one of the plurality of files needs to be accessed when processing a query without accessing that file from the one or more storage devices using the plurality of metadata.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of metadata comprises an inventory of data stored in the data.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the original database table represents a logical grouping of data.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the modification of the piece of data occurs by copying the one of the plurality of files to a duplicate file and modifying the piece of data in the duplicate file.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the one or processors further to allow modification of the data associated with the original database table independently of the duplicate database table and without copy of the data itself.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein modified data associated with the original database table is not visible to the duplicate database table.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein modified data associated with the duplicate database table is not visible to the original database table.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the modification of the piece of data is one of a write of the piece of data to the duplicate one of plurality of files and an update to the piece of data in the duplicate one of plurality of files.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more storage devices is separate from the one or more processors.

11. A method comprising:

identifying an original database table associated with data, wherein the original database table stores the data in a plurality of files and a first plurality of metadata that summarizes at least some of the data content of at least some of the plurality of files;

creating, by one or more processors, a duplicate database table of the original database table associated with the data without duplicating the data itself by copying metadata of the first plurality of metadata to create a second plurality of metadata for each of the plurality of files;

modifying a piece of data in the duplicate database table by modifying the piece of data in a duplicate one of the plurality of files; and

updating the second plurality of metadata to reference the duplicate one of the plurality of files.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein a system can determine whether one of the plurality of files needs to be accessed when processing a query without accessing that file from the one or more storage devices using the first plurality of metadata.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first plurality of metadata comprises an inventory of data stored in the original database table.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the original database table represents a logical grouping of data.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the modification comprises:

copying the one of the plurality of files to a duplicate file and modifying the piece of data in the duplicate file.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

allowing modification of the piece of data associated with the original database table independently of the duplicate database table and without copy of the data itself.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

allowing access to the data using the duplicate database table.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the original database table comprises a set of tables.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the duplicate database table is read only.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein modified data associated with one of the original database table and the duplicate database table is not visible to the other table.

21. The method of claim 11 , wherein data deleted from one of the original database table and the duplicate database table remains visible to the other table.

22. The method of claim 11 , wherein inserted data associated with one of the original database table and the duplicate database table is not visible to the other table.

23. The method of claim 11 , further comprising deleting the original database table upon completion of modifying the data associated with the original database table.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed, causes one or more processors to:

identify an original database table associated with data, wherein the original database table stores the data in a plurality of files and a first plurality of metadata that summarizes at least some of the data content of at least some of the plurality of files;

create, by the one or more processors, a duplicate database table of the original database table associated with the data without duplicating the data itself by copying metadata of the first plurality of metadata to create a second plurality of metadata for each of the plurality of files;

modify a piece of data in the duplicate database table by modifying the piece of data in a duplicate one of the plurality of files; and

update the second plurality of metadata to reference the duplicate one of the plurality of files.