  We investigate the physics of dipolar bosons in a two dimensional optical
lattice. It is known that due to the long-range character of dipole-dipole
interaction, the ground state phase diagram of a gas of dipolar bosons in an
optical lattice presents novel quantum phases, like checkerboard and supersolid
phases. In this paper, we consider the properties of the system beyond its
ground state, finding that it is characterised by a multitude of almost
degenerate metastable states, often competing with the ground state. This makes
dipolar bosons in a lattice similar to a disordered system and opens
possibilities of using them for quantum memories.
