View a Database Snapshot (SQL Server)
Applies to: SQL Server
This article explains how to view a SQL Server database snapshot using SQL Server Management Studio.
Note
To create, revert to, or delete a database snapshot, you must use Transact-SQL.
Use SQL Server Management Studio
To view a database snapshot
In Object Explorer, connect to the instance of the SQL Server Database Engine and then expand that instance.
Expand Databases.
Expand Database Snapshots, and select the snapshot you want to view.
Use Transact-SQL
To view a database snapshot
Connect to the Database Engine.
From the Standard bar, select New Query.
To list the database snapshots of the instance of SQL Server, query the
source_database_id
column of the sys.databases catalog view for non-NULL values.You can also use this query to get details about the database snapshot and its files
SELECT db_name(db.source_database_id) source_database, db.name AS snapshot_db_name, db.database_id, db.source_database_id, db.create_date, db.compatibility_level, db.is_read_only, mf.physical_name FROM sys.databases db INNER JOIN sys.master_files mf ON db.database_id = mf.database_id WHERE db.source_database_id is not null AND mf.is_sparse =1 ORDER BY db.name;