schemaClone

Command: schemaClone
Category: Schema Tools
Status: Production Ready

Description

Clones schema tables (and optionally table data) from a source schema to a target schema. This is useful for creating development environments, backups, or sandbox schemas for testing.

Syntax

hana-cli schemaClone [options]

Aliases

• schemaclone
• cloneSchema
• copyschema

Command Diagram

Parameters

Positional Arguments

This command has no positional arguments.

Options

Option	Alias	Type	Default	Description
--sourceSchema	-ss	string	**CURRENT_SCHEMA**	Source schema to clone from.
--targetSchema	-ts	string	**CURRENT_SCHEMA**	Target schema to clone to.
--includeData	-id	boolean	false	Copy table data in addition to structure.
--includeGrants	-ig	boolean	false	Include grant discovery/reporting workflow.
--parallel	-par	number	1	Accepted parallelism parameter for clone workflows.
--excludeTables	-et	string	-	Comma-separated tables to exclude.
--dryRun	-dr, --preview	boolean	false	Accepted preview flag for dry-run workflows.
--timeout	--to	number	7200	Operation timeout in seconds.
--profile	-p	string	-	Connection profile to use.

Connection Parameters

Option	Alias	Type	Default	Description
--admin	-a	boolean	false	Use admin connection settings.
--conn	-	string	Config-dependent	Override connection file.

Troubleshooting

Option	Alias	Type	Default	Description
--disableVerbose	--quiet	boolean	false	Reduce verbose output.
--debug	-d	boolean	false	Enable debug output.

Cloning Process

The command performs these steps:

1. Schema Verification: Checks if source schema exists
2. Target Creation: Creates target schema if it doesn't exist
3. Table Discovery: Lists all tables in source schema
4. Table Filtering: Applies exclude filter if specified
5. Structure Cloning: Creates table structures using CREATE TABLE ... LIKE
6. Data Copying: Copies data if --includeData specified
7. View Cloning: Identifies views (manual recreation may be needed)
8. Grant Processing: Reads grant metadata when --includeGrants is specified
9. Summary Report: Displays cloning statistics

Object Types Cloned

Automatically Cloned

• ✅ Tables (structure)
• ✅ Table data (if --includeData)
• ✅ Column definitions
• ✅ Primary keys
• ✅ Unique constraints

Requires Manual Handling

• ⚠️ Views (DDL display only)
• ⚠️ Stored procedures
• ⚠️ Functions
• ⚠️ Sequences
• ⚠️ Synonyms
• ⚠️ Triggers
• ⚠️ Foreign key constraints
• ⚠️ Privilege replay (grant application)

Output Format

Starting schema clone from PRODUCTION to DEVELOPMENT
Creating target schema DEVELOPMENT
Found 25 table(s) to clone
Cloning table: CUSTOMERS
Copied 15,432 row(s) to table CUSTOMERS
Cloning table: ORDERS
Copied 89,765 row(s) to table ORDERS
Cloning table: PRODUCTS
Copied 3,421 row(s) to table PRODUCTS
...
Found 8 view(s) to clone
Cloning view: CUSTOMER_SUMMARY
View CUSTOMER_SUMMARY skipped (requires manual DDL conversion)
...
Schema clone complete. Source: PRODUCTION, Target: DEVELOPMENT, Tables: 25, Rows: 234,567

┌────────────────┬────────────────┬───────────────┬─────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────────┐
│ SOURCE_SCHEMA  │ TARGET_SCHEMA  │ TABLES_CLONED │ ROWS_COPIED │ DATA_INCLUDED│ GRANTS_INCLUDED  │
├────────────────┼────────────────┼───────────────┼─────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────────┤
│ PRODUCTION     │ DEVELOPMENT    │ 25            │ 234567      │ YES          │ NO               │
└────────────────┴────────────────┴───────────────┴─────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────────┘

Examples

1. Basic Schema Clone (Structure Only)

Clone schema structure without data:

hana-cli schemaClone -ss PRODUCTION -ts DEVELOPMENT

2. Clone Schema with Data

Clone schema including all table data:

hana-cli schemaClone \
  -ss PRODUCTION \
  -ts DEV_SANDBOX \
  -id

3. Clone with Grants

Clone schema structure and security grants:

hana-cli schemaClone \
  -ss MAIN_SCHEMA \
  -ts BACKUP_SCHEMA \
  -ig

4. Full Clone with Data and Grants

Complete schema clone including everything:

hana-cli schemaClone \
  -ss PROD_SCHEMA \
  -ts TEST_SCHEMA \
  -id \
  -ig

5. Exclude Specific Tables

Clone schema but exclude temporary or log tables:

hana-cli schemaClone \
  -ss SALES_SCHEMA \
  -ts SALES_ARCHIVE \
  -id \
  -et TEMP_LOGS,DEBUG_TABLE,STAGING_DATA

6. Parallel Cloning for Performance

Use parallel operations for faster cloning:

hana-cli schemaClone \
  -ss LARGE_SCHEMA \
  -ts LARGE_SCHEMA_COPY \
  -id \
  -par 4

7. Extended Timeout for Large Schemas

Increase timeout for very large schemas:

hana-cli schemaClone \
  -ss BIG_DATA_SCHEMA \
  -ts BIG_DATA_BACKUP \
  -id \
  --timeout 14400

Use Cases

1. Development Environments: Create dev/test copies of production schemas
2. Schema Backup: Quick schema-level backups before major changes
3. Sandbox Creation: Create isolated environments for testing
4. Data Migration: Move schema structure to different systems
5. Schema Versioning: Create timestamped schema snapshots
6. Performance Testing: Clone production structure for load testing

Performance Considerations

• Without Data (-id not set): Very fast, structure-only copy
• With Data (-id set): Time depends on data volume
• Parallel Operations (-par): Can significantly speed up large schemas
• Network Speed: Affects data copy performance
• Table Size: Large tables take proportionally longer

Prerequisites

• CREATE SCHEMA privilege (if target doesn't exist)
• SELECT privilege on source schema
• CREATE TABLE privilege on target schema
• INSERT privilege on target schema (if copying data)
• Sufficient disk space for cloned data

Notes

• Target schema will be created if it doesn't exist
• If target schema exists, tables are added (existing tables not dropped)
• Views require manual DDL conversion due to schema name dependencies
• Foreign keys may need manual recreation after cloning
• Sequences need to be adjusted for current values
• Consider excluding large log or temporary tables
• Use appropriate timeout for schema size
• Indexes are created automatically with table structure
• Partitioning is preserved in table structure

Troubleshooting Scenarios

Error: Source schema not found

• Verify source schema name spelling and case
• Check database connection

Error: Permission denied

• Ensure you have appropriate privileges
• May need SCHEMA OWNER or DBA role

Timeout errors

• Increase timeout parameter
• Reduce parallel operations
• Exclude large tables

Out of disk space

• Check available space before cloning large schemas
• Consider cloning without data first
• Exclude unnecessary tables

Related Commands

• schemas - List available schemas.
• tables - Inspect tables in schemas.
• export - Export schema/table data.

See the Commands Reference for other commands in this category.

See Also

• Category: Schema Tools
• All Commands A-Z