Apache Drill vs Virtual Data Platform

Apache Drill is a schema-free SQL query engine for Hadoop, NoSQL databases, and cloud storage. It can query raw data where it resides without first loading it, defining schemas, or transforming it. Its JSON data model supports complex and nested structures, and a single query can join data across multiple datastores. Listed sources include HBase, MongoDB, HDFS, Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud Storage, Swift, NAS, and local files. JDBC and ODBC drivers connect Drill to tools including Tableau, Qlik, MicroStrategy, Spotfire, SAS, and Excel; developers can also use its REST API in custom applications. Drill can run embedded on a laptop or in distributed mode on a server cluster, and the homepage lists Mac, Windows, and Linux. Documented security options include Kerberos, username and password authentication, Digest, authorization, and impersonation. The software is free under Apache License 2.0. A compatibility limit: official support for Hadoop 2 and Java 8 was dropped with Drill 1.22.0.

Virtual Data Platform (VDP) provides live access to enterprise data across systems, networks, and organizations without copying it into a warehouse or lake. Queries run against source systems, and results are combined in an in-memory sandbox for each user. Its low-code Modeler creates reusable Virtual Datasets from Functions, Code Files, Models, and Value Lists. Users can work with the data through Excel, Power BI, Python, R, and MCP-capable AI assistants. Listed integrations include SAP, Snowflake, Salesforce, Workday, SQL Server, SharePoint, ODBC, OData, Oracle, PostgreSQL, BigQuery, and Dynamics 365. Users sign in with Microsoft Entra ID, and queries apply source-system permissions under the requesting user’s identity. The maker describes outbound-only gateway connections, TLS on every connection, encrypted payloads, and results held in memory rather than saved to disk. It describes the service as GDPR-aligned and hosted in the EU on Microsoft Azure, while making no certification claims today. A Dedicated tier offers a dedicated backend cluster and Azure Private Endpoints.