A flexible volume clone, FlexClone, is a point-in-time copy of a parent flexible volume. The FlexClone volume does not inherit the changes made to the parent flexible volume after the clone is created.
Data ONTAP FlexClone technology enables instant replication of data volumes without requiring additional storage space at the time of creation. Each clone volume is a transparent, virtual copy that you can use for a wide range of operations such as product or system development testing, bug fixing, upgrade checks, and so on.