A method for creating a point-in-time copy of a data store. A command to create a point-in-time copy of an original data store is received. The processing of input/output operations to the original data store is suspended. A metadata structure of a copy data store is created. The metadata structure contains a null metadata slab tree, a backing store register, and a copy record, the copy record containing a pointer to a metadata structure of the original data store, the metadata structure of the original data store containing a pointer to the metadata structure of the copy data store. The processing of input/output operations to the original data store and to the copy data store is resumed.