>>>I would like to be able to copy a few tables (some in a relationship) from time to time and then restore the state from the copies.
>>>To save the tables

insert to _newtable_ from _oldtable_

works nicely. But to recopy into the orignal tables seems to be tricky, due to identity, foreign keys etc.
>>>
>>>Is there a simple way to do this? (copy with production :) )
>>
>>You will have to copy tables in order (Parent table first, then related tables) and you would need to SET IDENTITY_INSERT ON for these tables.$
>
>... and list the columns in the restoring process right?
>
>Many thanks!

Yes, of course. You should always list all columns in the INSERT command, don't take shortcuts.