Connect Microsoft Spark to BI and analytics apps with the Simba ODBC driver for fast SQL access to Microsoft Spark data.
Microsoft Spark brings the power of Apache Spark to Azure outside of the Synapse environment. Data teams can run advanced analytics, ETL, and machine learning workloads at scale, but application vendors and integrators still need a redistributable, standards-based driver to surface that data in the tools their customers already use.
What is Microsoft Spark?
It is a fully managed implementation of Apache Spark in Azure, designed for large-scale data processing, data engineering, and advanced analytics. It supports SQL, Python, R, and Scala, and integrates with Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure Machine Learning, and other Azure services.
Why Simba?
Microsoft offers a basic Spark driver for personal use, but it is not licensed for redistribution. Simba provides a fully supported ODBC driver that you can embed in your products.
Simba translates ANSI SQL into Spark SQL, pushes filters, joins, and aggregations to the Spark cluster, and streams results back with minimal latency.
Built-in Azure AD authentication, SSL, and FIPS-ready encryption meet enterprise security requirements.
Simba turns Microsoft Spark into a drop-in data source for BI dashboards, custom applications, data integration platforms, and embedded analytics — all without writing any Spark-specific code.
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Microsoft’s free Spark driver cannot be included in commercial software, blocking ISVs from delivering Spark-ready apps. Simba offers a royalty-free licensing model so you can embed the driver in any commercial or SaaS product without restrictions.
Without a standards-based ODBC layer, teams resort to fragile REST integrations or custom connectors that delay go-live dates. Simba provides drop-in ODBC connectivity so apps, ETL tools, and custom solutions can query Spark with SQL from day one.
Third-party drivers without pushdown or enterprise authentication led to slow queries and possible security issues. Simba brings decades of enterprise driver expertise, with built-in optimization, Azure AD, and encryption meeting strict compliance needs.
Ship Spark-enabled features in weeks, not months. Simba’s redistributable ODBC driver installs quickly, removes the need for custom REST code, shortens QA cycles, reduces support tickets, and lets teams focus on building value-added features.
Simba pushes filters, joins, and aggregates into Spark, streams results efficiently with pagination, and minimizes data movement. This means faster dashboards, lower cloud charges, reduced CPU usage, and higher concurrency for every workload.
Native Azure AD integration, TLS/SSL with optional FIPS-validated encryption, and enterprise-grade support give teams confidence. Simba’s proven track record with Fortune 500 analytics stacks ensures auditability and long-term reliability.
Simba Microsoft Spark driver gives BI, integration, and custom apps live SQL access to Microsoft Spark tables with no separate ETL or custom APIs, just standard ODBC.
Spark Tables
Spark SQL Queries
Cross-Platform Apps
SQL Access via ODBC and JDBC – Query Synapse Spark from Power BI, Tableau, Logi Symphony, Excel, Java, Python, and more.
ODBC 3.8 and JDBC 4.2 Compliant – Provides 32- and 64-bit ODBC 3.8 and JDBC 4.2 compliant connectivity for Windows, Linux, and macOS platforms.
Query Pushdown Optimization – Executes joins, filters, and aggregations inside Spark for maximum speed.
Azure AD Support – Integrates with enterprise identity providers.
Secure Transport – TLS 1.2+ with FIPS-ready encryption modules.
High-Throughput Fetch & Pagination – Streams large result sets without exhausting memory.
FIPS Compliance & Enterprise Support – Meets strict security and compliance standards, ensuring trusted data access for regulated industries.
Departmental, Enterprise, and OEM Licensing Options
Cross-Platform Compatibility – Compatible with multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux and macOS.
Compatible with Microsoft Synapse Spark: Fully compatible with the Spark 3.5 version.
32- and 64-Bit Application Support: Works seamlessly with both 32-bit and 64-bit applications.
ODBC and JDBC Compliance: Adheres to the ODBC 3.8 and JDBC 4.2 specifications for standardized database connectivity.
ANSI SQL-92 Support: Supports the ANSI SQL-92 standard for SQL compliance.
Unicode Support: Fully supports Unicode for international character sets and data.
FIPS-Ready Cryptography
Documentation Coming Soon
