A schema snapshot is a compact file that contains all the schema information for a database (connection), stored in a proprietary format and can only be read by the schema compare. A snapshot permits creating an Oracle schema and all its objects without a live connection.
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The snapshot contain only the schema objects, without any data. |
Snapshots allow you to maintain an offline history of schema changes. You can take schema snapshots at different points in time and compare those snapshot to the live schema or other snapshots to get a picture of the "evolution" of the schema changes.
How do you take a snapshot? To take a schema snapshot simply move the mouse over the name of an Oracle connection, on the left panel of the Workspace. You will see a "camera" icon appear on the right side of the connection. Click on that icon to take the snapshot - you will be asked to choose a snapshot file and the location where you wish to save it.
Before comparing snapshots to each other or to live schemas you add them to the workspace. The "Add Snapshots" functionality can be accessed from the ribbon (the "Home" tab). On the "Add Snapshots" dialog window that appears click on the "Browse..." link to browse to the location where the snapshot(s) you wish to add to the workspace have been stored. You can select as many snapshots as you want from different locations. For each snapshot you select the application will display the filename, the database the snapshot was taken from, the date when the snapshot was taken, and the Oracle version.
