A method implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code having programming instructions tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium. The programming instructions are operable to determine whether a target disk of a map contains data unavailable to a downstream disk from an upstream disk in a FlashCopy cascade and detect whether the downstream disk has a copy of the data. Additionally, the programming instructions are operable to copy the data from the target disk to the downstream disk, if the target disk of the map contains data unavailable to the downstream disk from the upstream disk and the downstream disk does not have the copy of the data. Furthermore, the programming instructions are operable to refrain from copying the data from the target disk to the downstream disk, if the target disk of the map does not contain data unavailable to the downstream disk from the upstream disk or the downstream disk does have the copy of the data. Moreover, the programming instructions are operable to remove the map from the FlashCopy cascade.