The document provides an overview of Apache Hive 2, highlighting its evolution from a SQL-on-Hadoop solution primarily for ETL tasks to a more robust data warehousing tool capable of analytics and reporting. Key features of Hive 2 include HPLSQL, LLAP for improved query speeds, and various enhancements to Hive on Spark, all while maintaining a focus on backward compatibility. Upcoming developments aim to enhance performance, particularly for ACID tables and SQL compliance.