The Simba Apache Spark ODBC Connector is used for direct SQL and HiveQL access to Apache Hadoop / Spark distributions, enabling Business Intelligence (BI), analytics, and reporting on Hadoop-based data. The connector efficiently transforms an application’s SQL query into the equivalent form in HiveQL, which is a subset of SQL-92. If an application is Spark-aware, then the connector is configurable to pass the query through to the database for processing. The connector interrogates Spark to obtain schema information to present to a SQL-based application. Queries, including joins, are translated from SQL to HiveQL
What's new in 2.9.2
Enhancements & New Features
[SPARKO-1408] Process Name as Default UserAgentEntry
The driver will now use the process name as the UserAgentEntry if the UserAgentEntry is not set.
[SPARKO-1472] Upgraded LTS support
The driver now uses LTS versions 11.3 through 15.4. For supported versions, see the Installation and Configuration Guide.
[SPARKO-1482][05221097] Databricks domains support
The driver now supports cloud.databricks.us and cloud.databricks.mil domains.
[SPARKO-1325][SPARKO-1435] Timestamp_NTZ support
The driver now recognizes timestamp_ntz columns in the following data source tables: - SQLGetTypeInfo (SQL_ALL_TYPES) now lists timestamp_ntz as an available type. - SQLGetTypeInfo (SQL_TIMESTAMP) now lists timestamp_ntz as one of the types that map to SQL timestamps. - SQLColumns now identifies timestamp_ntz columns correctly. - If UseNativeQuery is set to 0, SQLColAttribute (SQL_DESC_TYPE_NAME) identifies timestamp_ntz columns correctly.
[SPARKO-1384][SPARKO-1405][SPARKO-1411] CRL cache support
On Windows, the driver supports the CRL cache when UseSystemTruststore is enabled (set to 1).
The connector now uses the following third-party libraries:
OpenSSL 3.0.16 (previously 3.0.15)
libcURL 8.12.1 (previously 8.11.0)
Expat 2.7.1 (previously 2.6.3)
[SPARKO-1404] VOID type support
The driver now supports VOID columns and lists them correctly in SQLGetColumns calls.
[SPARKO-1419][SPARKO-1420] OAuth Token exchange support
The driver now supports OAuth Token exchange feature for IDP different from the host. In these cases, OAuth access token (including BYOT) will be exchanged for a Databricks in-house access token. For more information, see the Installation and Configuration Guide.
[SPARKO-1474] Upgraded Windows Server support
The connector now supports Windows Server 2025. For a list of supported versions, see the Installation and Configuration Guide.
Resolved Issues The following issues have been resolved in Simba Apache Spark ODBC Connector 2.9.2.
[SPARKO-1516][SPARKO-1518] A memory leak is resolved.
Known Issues The following are known issues that you may encounter due to limitations in the data source, the connector, or an application.
* [SPARKO-1404] When querying tables that contain VOID columns, the server returns an error. …
The connector now uses the following third-party libraries:
OpenSSL 3.0.15 (previously 3.0.13)
libcURL 8.10.1 (previously 8.7.1)
ICU 74.2 (previously 71.1)
Arrow 15.0.0 (previously 9.0.0) for OSX & Linux (Windows was on 15.0.0)
lz4 1.10.0. (previously 1.9.4)
Expat 2.6.3 (previously 2.6.2)
Kerberos 1.21.3 (previously 1.21.2)
[SPARKO-1360] Support for Token Passthrough OAuth
The driver now supports token renewal for the Token Passthrough OAuth flow.
[SPARKO-1369] Use 'hive_metastore' as default for Empty Initial Catalog
If the server sends an empty string as the initial catalog, the driver will default to using the "hive_metastore" catalog.
[SPARKO-1371] Support for DBR
The driver now supports DBR 15.4 LTS.
[SPARKO-1378] Buffer length based on the DM's encoding.
The driver now returns the buffer length based on the DM's encoding.
…
Frequently asked questions
Is Simba Spark ODBC Driver free?
Simba Spark ODBC Driver is proprietary software from Simba Technologies Inc.. Check the publisher's license terms for pricing and usage rights.
What is the latest version of Simba Spark ODBC Driver?
The latest version is 2.9.2, released on Apr 25, 2025.
Is it safe to download Simba Spark ODBC Driver?
The download button links to the official installer published on databricks-bi-artifacts.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com, the same file Windows Package Manager installs. You can verify the downloaded file by comparing its SHA-256 checksum with 86d295d1a1c1faca9c05ce6b0d62b9da5078f12635a494543b7182e0edf7e4cd.
Which Windows versions does Simba Spark ODBC Driver support?
Simba Spark ODBC Driver runs on Windows and is available for 32-bit (x86), 64-bit (x64) systems.
How do I uninstall Simba Spark ODBC Driver?
Open Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find Simba Spark ODBC Driver and select Uninstall. From the command line, run winget uninstall --id=Databricks.SparkODBCDriver -e.
Alternatives to Simba Spark ODBC Driver
Other Database programs for Windows from different developers.
The stand-alone ODBC drivers providing an application programming interface (API) that implements the standard ODBC interfaces to Microsoft SQL Server.
The stand-alone ODBC drivers providing an application programming interface (API) that implements the standard ODBC interfaces to Microsoft SQL Server.
The stand-alone ODBC drivers providing an application programming interface (API) that implements the standard ODBC interfaces to Microsoft SQL Server.
