Atlassian's Jira Cloud Migration Tool

Atlassian's Jira Cloud is more popular than ever as companies continue to see the benefits in cloud-based technologies. For those of you already on server, the latest announcement from Atlassian might prompt you get to a head start on looking at migration options. I had the opportunity to work with Atlassian's Jira Cloud Migration Assistant (JMCA) earlier this year and now is a more pertinent time than ever to share those findings. 

What is the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant?

Jira Cloud Migration Assistant is an add-on introduced by Atlassian earlier in 2020 to help clients migrate their data from Server to Cloud. It is a migration assistant and should be viewed as such. There are many things that JCMA does well, but it does come with it's limitations and should not be viewed as a one-and-done solution for most organizations. With that being said, companies with small Jira Server footprint will get the most use out of the tool.

At a glance

What can it do?

• Jira Software and Jira Core Project data
  • Details
  • Roles
  • Screens and Schemes
  • Workflows
    • Most native workflow functions
• Issue data
  • Most custom fields
  • Issue history
  • Rank
  • Worklogs
  • Attachments
  • Comments
• Boards linked to projects being migrated
• Active users and groups from User Directories

What are the limitations?

• Jira Service Management- no Jira Service Management data can be brought over with JCMA at the time of publishing
• Third party app data
• User Avatars/Timezones/Passwords
  • Passwords will need to be reset after migrating unless the client is using SSO
• Global configuration items
  • Since JCMA operates at the project level no system settings will be brought over
• Certain custom fields
  • Single and Multi-version picker
  • URL
  • Select List (cascading)
  • Select List (multiple choice)
  • Project picker
• Certain workflow functions
  • Validator: required field, field changed
  • Condition: user in group, in project role, field value, subtask blocking
  • Post Function: clear field value, update custom field, copy value from other field, delegating
• Links to entities that are not migrated

I don't have Jira Service Management, but what's this you say about app data?

Unfortunately, Marketplace Apps will need to be handled on a case-by-case basis. The JCMA tool provides a mechanism for assessing which apps can be migrated from server to cloud, but does not migrate the data via the tool itself. Instead, the tool will scan your instance and provide links or paths (i.e. instructions) to external documentation if it exists.

These paths can be a bit confusing as you are taken to the individual app vendors' sites. These can be radically different from app to app. In our case, many apps did not have a path forward and, instead, we are prompted to contact the vendor.

What about users?

JCMA will bring over all active users and groups on each migration initiation (which may or may not be what you want). You have the option of giving the users product access before running the migration, but in my opinion, it is best to wait until after the migration in case things go awry. After running the migration, the users will need to be invited to the Cloud site.

Should I use JCMA? Or perhaps another method like site import?

When the instance to be migrated is small, well managed, and with little complexity, the JCMA tool will handle your data with finesse. The JCMA tool is also more useful in merges when you are trying to merge a small, relatively simple Jira Software Server instance with a larger cloud instance. This is due to the fact that the JCMA tool itself is very project-centric. However, an abundance of app data, complex workflows, and many external integrations can be some of the things that might stop an organization from using this tool. If you are in any way unsure, contact us -- we've got your back.

My Experience

Overall, I found the JCMA tool to be a simple and effective way to transfer small amounts of project data to a cloud instance. It does what it says it will do, with only minor hiccups along the way. My experience a few months back is likely going to be different with yours as Atlassian continues to invest heavily in Cloud offerings. As always, do your own reading and don't be afraid to ask for help.

Further Reading