22-25 April 2026 
Heini Ilmarinen
Heini is a math teacher turned Azure expert. With her background in mathematics and teaching, she has a great passion for problem solving, simplifying complex things and a unique approach to architectures.
She is a DevOps Consultant at Polar Squad and a Data Platform MVP, specializing in Azure infrastructure and the data platform. She has been working with customers large and small for the past several years to help them sort out their path to the cloud and make sense of their architecture - both hybrid and cloud. She has worked extensively with both Azure infrastructure and analytics solutions, and makes the most of this skillset in her projects, as well as while speaking. On her free time Heini spends time in the nature, either snowboarding or mountain biking, depending on the season.
Heini Ilmarinen's Sessions
Crash course to version control for the data professionalSQLBits 2025
Git, push, pull, fork, clone....getting started with using git is confusing! In this fast session we'll start from figuring out what is git and version control, as well as how repositories fit in the picture. Then we'll dive into what are the most used git commands and how to use them. Lastly we'll walk through a sample of how to develop a new feature using git capabilities we've learned. After this session you'll have clarity on how to get rolling with using git as part of your development work!
Securing Cosmos DB: Ready for Production!SQLBits 2023
Getting started with Cosmos DB is super easy and you get the scalability and global reach out of the box. For production scenarios we often have additional requirements for security, that could span from restricting public endpoints to auditing user actions on data. In this session, we will go through the different security capabilities available for Cosmos DB, focusing deeper on networking and access control. We will cover how to control networking and use private endpoints with Cosmos DB, as well as how the global nature of the service makes these different from the rest of the services in Azure. We will also explore the different options for access control on the data in Cosmos DB and particularly how the newest addition to the mix, Cosmos DB RBAC, can help keep your data secure.
To Bicep or to Terraform - That is the QuestionSQLBits 2023
If you're getting started with an implementation using Infrastructure as Code, one of the first things to figure out is which tool to use. In this session will dive into the details of the differences of Bicep and Terraform to help you choose the best option for your scenario.
We will begin the session by going through the similarities of Bicep and Terraform, but will then jump straight into the differences of these two tools. We will cover how state is handled, how configuration is scoped and how making changes is evaluated. Then we will go through how existing resources are handled and using preview features. At the end of this session you will be able to choose which tool is the best option for your implementation!
Knee-Deep In Tech Live @ SQL BitsSQLBits 2023
Be part of a live audience recording of an episode of Knee-Deep in Tech!
Less Clicking, More Coding! Data Platform Development Using Infrastructure as CodeSQLBits 2022
In this session we will go through the concepts that you need to grasp in order to get started with infrastructure as code for Azure. We will look at how the process for managing resources in Azure changes compared to the way we've previously done it, and finally we will explore a complete workflow of deploying your Azure data platform architecture as code using Terraform and how to work on that code with your team.
Networking unlocked for the Azure Data ServicesSQLBits 2022
Are you trying to make sense of how to secure your Azure Data Service to your private network, but can't just seem to make sense of service endpoints, private links and private endpoints, as well as when to use which approach? Join this session to understand networking for the Azure Data services and the differences of these methods for integrating your Azure Data Services to a virtual network. You will learn what are the benefits of each approach and what challenges you can solve with them.
Securing Cosmos DB: Ready for Production!SQLBits 2023
Getting started with Cosmos DB is super easy and you get the scalability and global reach out of the box. For production scenarios we often have additional requirements for security, that could span from restricting public endpoints to auditing user actions on data. In this session, we will go through the different security capabilities available for Cosmos DB, focusing deeper on networking and access control. We will cover how to control networking and use private endpoints with Cosmos DB, as well as how the global nature of the service makes these different from the rest of the services in Azure. We will also explore the different options for access control on the data in Cosmos DB and particularly how the newest addition to the mix, Cosmos DB RBAC, can help keep your data secure.
To Bicep or to Terraform - That is the QuestionSQLBits 2023
If you're getting started with an implementation using Infrastructure as Code, one of the first things to figure out is which tool to use. In this session will dive into the details of the differences of Bicep and Terraform to help you choose the best option for your scenario.
We will begin the session by going through the similarities of Bicep and Terraform, but will then jump straight into the differences of these two tools. We will cover how state is handled, how configuration is scoped and how making changes is evaluated. Then we will go through how existing resources are handled and using preview features. At the end of this session you will be able to choose which tool is the best option for your implementation!
Knee-Deep In Tech Live @ SQL BitsSQLBits 2023
Be part of a live audience recording of an episode of Knee-Deep in Tech!
Azure AD for the Azure Data ServicesSQLBits 2022
Working with Azure data services it is nearly impossible to ignore Azure AD; we can use it simply for logging in to a services like Azure SQL, but also for setting up OAuth token authentication for a service like Databricks. In this sessions we will start from Azure AD basics and then look at different authentication scenarios in general. Lastly, we will cover the Azure data services landscape and see how Azure AD can be leveraged for each service, highlighting both similarities and differences.
Demystifying Managed Identities in Azure Synapse AnalyticsSQLBits 2022
Managed identities can solve a lot of the tedious work with passwords, secrets and such. We'll show you how it works and how to use it with Azure Synapse Analytics!
Full 180° - Lessons Learned from Switching CareersSQLBits 2022
A little over five years ago I was a freshly graduated math student doing teaching on the side, while trying to figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up. Fast forward five years and here I am! In this session I will share my experiences and the insights I found useful entering into a completely new field and having to learn a massive amount of new skills in a short time. Join to get some inspiration for keeping your knowledge up to date or expand it, or make a complete shift in your career!
Knee-Deep In Tech Live @ SQL BitsSQLBits 2022
Knee-Deep in Tech goes to SQL Bits!
Less Clicking, More Coding! Data Platform Development Using Infrastructure as CodeSQLBits 2022
In this session we will go through the concepts that you need to grasp in order to get started with infrastructure as code for Azure. We will look at how the process for managing resources in Azure changes compared to the way we've previously done it, and finally we will explore a complete workflow of deploying your Azure data platform architecture as code using Terraform and how to work on that code with your team.
Networking unlocked for the Azure Data ServicesSQLBits 2022
Are you trying to make sense of how to secure your Azure Data Service to your private network, but can't just seem to make sense of service endpoints, private links and private endpoints, as well as when to use which approach? Join this session to understand networking for the Azure Data services and the differences of these methods for integrating your Azure Data Services to a virtual network. You will learn what are the benefits of each approach and what challenges you can solve with them.
The Ultimate Jigsaw - Architecting Azure Synapse Analytics Deep DiveSQLBits 2022
Have you done your first experiments in Azure Synapse Analytics and gotten excited to take it a step further, but are trying to make sense of how to go to production securely. In this session we will look into how to set up Azure Synapse Analytics securely in terms of setting up networking and handling access control. To make sense of it all, we will take a deep dive in to the architecture of is Azure Synapse Analytics and how we can leverage it to set up security from the very beginning.