Snapshot File Archive

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What does the snapshot archive contain?

A Configuration Manager for Jira (CMJ) snapshot is formed through an archive of files that contain all the information about your projects, configurations, and issues. This archive can be easily accessed by opening up the snapshot file you downloaded from the Snapshots page. In this document, we will be referring to the snapshot file as a snapshot archive file. Just know that they’re the same thing.

Let’s tell you more about all the files you'll see there so you don't accidentally delete or break something important, thus rendering the snapshot file unusable.

File Groups

Within a snapshot file archive, you'll see various types of files, as well as some folders. For an easier explanation, we'll refer to every file type as its own group. So, what file groups should you expect to see?

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Example of a System snapshot file archive.

Object Reference File

Let's start with the file you’ll likely want to access when going into the snapshot archive - object-references.csv. In CMJ 6.14.0, we introduced this new file to the snapshot archive to give you a way to check configurational dependencies within your snapshot scope. You can use it to check and understand why specific configuration objects have been included in the snapshot.

The table shows every object that’s added to the snapshot. Each line represents a separate object. The table is read from right to left - at the far right, you’ll find the specific object, and at the far left, you’ll see the most general element it belongs to. Consider it kind of like a page tree with every part being separated by a comma (,) and representing a sub-page leading all the way to its lowest child page.

For example, in the image below, let’s look at line 26. It shows the following text:

From this, we can see that the Task issue type was included in this snapshot because it’s part of the MD: Jira Service Management issue type scheme, which in turn is part of the Marketing Department project.

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JSON Files

The .json files store the diagram layout of all included workflows. This layout is the visual representation of all statuses and transitions an issue moves through.

Binary Files

Binary files store your configuration data and can be recognized by the .bin filename extension. The data is usually spread between multiple files, and these are their contents:

• <snapshot name>.configuration.bin - contains your Jira configuration, like projects, workflows, schemes, etc., but not project issues. This file is present in every snapshot type.

• <snapshot name>.issues.project.<project key>.bin - contains the base issue data for a project. If your snapshot contains multiple projects, you'll have a separate file for each. This file can be found only in the 'Project with Issues' snapshot.

• <snapshot name>.issues.contents.project.<project key>.bin - contains detailed issue data for a project. If your snapshot contains multiple projects, you'll have a separate file for each. This file can be found only in the 'Project with Issues' snapshot.

• <snapshot name>.history.project.<project key>.bin - contains the recorded history of all issues within a project. If your snapshot contains multiple projects, you'll have a separate file for each. This file can be found only in the 'Project with Issues' snapshot.

• <snapshot name>.comments.project.<project key>.bin - contains the comments for all issues within a project. If your snapshot contains multiple projects, you'll have a separate file for each. This file can be found only in the 'Project with Issues' snapshot.

Attachment Files

When you choose to include attachments in your snapshot, CMJ will create an attachments folder within the archive to store them. The file name for each attachment is formed by mapping it to its corresponding issue key. CMJ archives all attachments this way for better security and storage.

Avatar Files

CMJ stores all the avatars present in your snapshot in an avatars folder. These are the images you've set for the included projects, issue types, and other elements that have image representations. The files are stored as .png.

JSM Logo Files

If your snapshot has one or more Jira Service Management (JSM) projects included, CMJ will create a sdlogos folder within the archive to store their portals' logos there. The file name for each logo is formed by mapping it to its corresponding project key.