The subject technology stores table metadata for a current version of a table in a current-version set of one or more table-metadata files. The subject technology detects a modification to the current version of the table, the modification resulting in a new version of the table, the new version of the table being stored in a new-version set of one or more table-data files, the new-version set of one or more table-data files being different than a current-version set of one or more table-data files. The subject technology, responsive to detecting the modification to the current version of the table, generates and storing a new-version set of one or more table-metadata files, the new-version set of one or more table-metadata files comprising table metadata for the new version of the table