Spark SQL provides DataFrame abstractions in different programming languages, such as Python, Java, and Scala, in order to work with structured datasets. It can also read and write data in various structured formats, including JSON, Hive Tables, and Parquet. In addition to that, Spark SQL allows for querying the data by using SQL inside of the Spark program, or by using external tools, for example, connecting to Spark SQL using standard database connectors (JDBC/ODBC).