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From SQL Server Central]
Database snapshots is a new feature added in SQL Server 2005.Database Snapshot can be used to create a read-only copy of the database. Database snapshot consists of the read-only static view of the database without including the uncommitted transactions. The uncommitted transactions are rolled back to make the database snapshot transactionally consistent.
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http://www.sqlservercentral.com/columnists/akhosla/2733.asp