Cloning catalog objects

1. A system comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors, operatively coupled to the memory, the one or more processors to:

create a second catalog object by mapping a second portion of second metadata of the second catalog object to same data of a same data file as a first portion of first metadata of a first catalog object; and

in response to a data storage or data retrieval request directed to the second catalog object, delete data associated with the second portion of the second metadata from the second catalog object independently of the first catalog object.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further to delete the second catalog object after responding to the data storage or data retrieval request directed to the first catalog object.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein, to delete the data associated with the second portion of the second metadata from the second catalog object independently of the first catalog object, the one or more processors are to unmap the second portion of the second metadata from the data file while leaving the first portion of the first metadata mapped to the data file.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data file is a first data file, and

wherein the one or more processors are further to modify data associated with a third portion of the second metadata independently of the first catalog object by:

writing modified data to a second data file; and

associating the third portion of the second metadata with the modified data within the second data file.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the modified data of the second data file is not visible to the first catalog object.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein data deleted from the first catalog object remains visible to the second catalog object.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data file is a first data file, and

wherein the one or more processors are further to:

add a second data file to the second catalog object independently of the first catalog object.

8. A method comprising:

creating a second catalog object by mapping a second portion of second metadata of the second catalog object to same data of a same data file as a first portion of first metadata of a first catalog object; and

in response to a data storage or data retrieval request directed to the second catalog object, deleting data associated with the second portion of the second metadata from the second catalog object independently of the first catalog object.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising deleting the second catalog object after responding to the data storage or data retrieval request directed to the first catalog object.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein deleting the data associated with the second portion of the second metadata from the second catalog object independently of the first catalog object comprises unmapping the second portion of the second metadata from the data file while leaving the first portion of the first metadata mapped to the data file.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the data file is a first data file, and

wherein the method further comprises modifying data associated with a third portion of the second metadata independently of the first catalog object by:

writing modified data to a second data file; and

associating the third portion of the second metadata with the modified data within the second data file.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the modified data of the second data file is not visible to the first catalog object.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein data deleted from the first catalog object remains visible to the second catalog object.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the data file is a first data file, and

wherein the method further comprises adding a second data file to the second catalog object independently of the first catalog object.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

create a second catalog object by mapping a second portion of second metadata of the second catalog object to same data of a same data file as a first portion of first metadata of a first catalog object; and

in response to a data storage or data retrieval request directed to the second catalog object, delete data associated with the second portion of the second metadata from the second catalog object independently of the first catalog object.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors are further to delete the second catalog object after responding to the data storage or data retrieval request directed to the first catalog object.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein, to delete the data associated with the second portion of the second metadata from the second catalog object independently of the first catalog object, the one or more processors are to unmap the second portion of the second metadata from the data file while leaving the first portion of the first metadata mapped to the data file.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the data file is a first data file, and

wherein the one or more processors are further to modify data associated with a third portion of the second metadata independently of the first catalog object by:

writing modified data to a second data file; and

associating the third portion of the second metadata with the modified data within the second data file.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the modified data of the second data file is not visible to the first catalog object.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein data deleted from the first catalog object remains visible to the second catalog object.