Guide to exporting

A smooth migration starts with setting up your export file properly. Importing a configuration file or a set of projects with their data into Jira may change many things in Jira configuration. It is also likely to change global objects (schemes, workflows, custom fields, etc.) that may be used by other projects.

Given this potential impact on the target projects and other projects in Jira, it is important to understand your source instance. A smooth migration starts with setting up your export file. To ensure your export file won’t introduce any unwanted changes, we recommend you follow the best practices below. You can also use the Project Configurator checklist as a quick reminder of all the export prerequisites and tasks before proceeding with any migration process.

Understand your source instance

Run the object dependencies report in the Manage Apps section of the Jira Administration screen to give you a detailed view of where objects are used or referenced by other objects in your configuration.

Review Project Configurator’s export options and limitations

Read about the different export options available for exporting complete projects or configuration only, and understand which objects are not supported by Project Configurator. For complete project migrations, be sure to review these specific limitations.  

Limit disruptions to users

Perform your export process when it will have minimal impact on users. If you are exporting complete projects, consider excluding attachments from the export to reduce the file size and time required to compile the file. See Attachments migration mode for more information.

Back up your source instance

Before compiling an export file for your configuration or project data, it is good practice to always create a backup of your source instance. See Backing up Jira data for more information.

Follow a defined process

Promoting configuration changes, importing projects from another instance, or merging instances of Jira may, in some cases, be complex tasks. Your chances of success will be much higher if you follow some best practices and avoid common pitfalls. We recommend reading the Migrating data page we prepared in collaboration with Atlassian. It describes the recommended steps for each process.

Clear temporary files on failed exports

Once an export file is successfully imported to your target instance, Project Configurator clears the temporary files saved in the temp directory, <JiraInstallDirectory>/temp. If the export process fails, to save space on your local disk, it is good practice to manually clear these files before launching the export process again.