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Import issue links
eazyBI for Jira

This page describes advanced Jira and eazyBI integration. If you need help with this please contact eazyBI support.

On this page:

If you would like to import selected issue links into eazyBI you need to define additional calculated custom fields using advanced settings for custom fields (available only to Jira system administrators, Jira siteadmin, and eazyBI admins).

At first, you need to give a name for this issue link calculated custom field:

  • Use your own customfield_NAME custom field name where NAME is some unique descriptive name of your additional calculated custom field. Best practices for naming the custom fields: keep it short, without underscores, special symbols, or camelCase.
  • And a name setting and specify a display name for this calculated custom field that will be visible in Jira import custom fields selection (these calculated custom fields will be always visible for any Jira project selection).

 For example:

[jira.customfield_feature]
name = "Feature"


Then specify if it will be an outward_link or inward_link from an issue and specify the name of this link, for example:

outward_link = "is a feature for"

You can specify also several outward or inward links, for example:

outward_link = ["is a feature for", "is an theme for"]

If issues with different types can be linked using the specified links then optionally you can also limit that only issues with specific issue type will be selected:

issue_type = "Feature"

or several issue types:

issue_type = ["Feature", "Theme"]

If you would like to update this calculated issue link field for sub-tasks from their parent issues then specify update_from_issue_key. This parameter should reference to some default fields or custom fields containing single issue key:

update_from_issue_key = "parent_issue_key"

If you would like to import this custom field as a dimension (that means not just as a property) then add

dimension = true

If there can be several linked issues with the specified link type and you would like to import them as a multi-value dimension, then specify:

multiple_values = true

parameter update_from_issue_key does not work with multiple_values = true


After you have saved the advanced settings with this issue link field definition then go to the Source Data tab and see if you have this custom field in the list of available custom fields.

If you would like to test if the field is defined correctly then select it and click Add custom JavaScript code and test it with some issue key. Expand fields and see if the corresponding customfield_NAME field contains the linked issue key that you are expecting.

This is an example where issues are grouped into features (by linking issues to features) and then features are grouped into themes (by linking features to themes):

[jira.customfield_feature]
name = "Feature"
outward_link = "is a feature for"
issue_type = "Feature"
update_from_issue_key = "parent_issue_key"
dimension = true
 
[jira.customfield_theme]
name = "Theme"
outward_link = "is a theme for"
issue_type = "Theme"
update_from_issue_key = "customfield_feature"
dimension = true

In this example, all issues (with their subtasks) within features will also be related to the corresponding theme. At first, customfield_feature will be updated for sub-tasks using the parent_issue_key field (which stores the parent issue key for sub-tasks). And then customfield_theme will be updated for parent issues and sub-tasks using the customfield_feature.

If you have many bugs that can be related to one story or feature and you would like to see by bug which issues it is related to then you can import them as a multi-value dimension:

[jira.customfield_bugs]
name = "Bugs"
outward_link = "relates to"
issue_type = "Bug"
dimension = true
multiple_values = true

There might be cases when issue link configuration parameters seem not to be working as expected. Here are hints to find out the reasons why issue link information is not imported in eazyBI correctly.

  1. Check if you have correctly used inward_link or outward_link direction of the link. 
    The general rule: check the link name in the issue screen you consider as a "parent" issue (for instance, if you want to get all defects logged against a task, then check the link name in the task issue screen). Then go to Jira administration and check whether this name is for the inward or outward endpoint of the link. Keep in mind that the link name could differ according to its direction! 
  2. You need to use the correct name (all spaces, upper/lower case) of the inward or outward link configured in Jira. To avoid misspellings, it is a good idea to copy the name from the Jira configuration screen. It is even a better idea to copy the link name from the edit screen since it will show some possible leading or trailing spaces which might accidentally be entered in the link name:

  3. You also can check the specific issue to see if the issue link is used as intended by the configuration. 

    For the example above, following settings should be used to create a correct custom field for the hierarchy (mind the space in inward link name!):

    [jira.customfield_epic_feature] 
    name = "Feature" 
    inward_link = "Parent Feature " 
    issue_type = "Feature" 
    update_from_issue_key = “…” 
  4. Whenever you change the advanced settings for a custom field or hierarchy it is recommended to either do the full reimport of the data in the account, or to clear the previously loaded custom field configuration (run the import with the custom field un-checked) and load it again (run the import with the custom field checked).