Trackwell Jira CSV Import

What it is for

Leaving an issue tracker is easier when the history comes along. Jira can export the issues of any search as a CSV file, and this tool turns that file into a Trackwell project (.trackwell.json): issues keep their keys, types, statuses, priorities, assignees, sprints, epics, sub-tasks, links, comments, estimates and custom fields.

It is also useful on its own to check what an export contains before you move it anywhere: the result lists every status with the category it was given, every issue type and what it became, and a warning for each thing that could not be carried over. The Trackwell app runs the same import under File → Import a Jira CSV export…, with a preview first.

The tool does not connect to Jira and needs no account; it only reads the file you give it. Attachments are not part of a CSV export and are not imported.

Worked example

The first example uses a small sample export of a mobile app project: an epic, two stories, three bugs, a task and a sub-task in two sprints. The tool returns:

Imported 8 issues into “Mobile app” (APP) with 5 statuses, 2 sprints and 5 people.

The project key APP comes from the issue keys. The five statuses were sorted into categories: To Do (2 issues) is to do; In Progress (2), In Review (1) and Waiting for customer (1) are in progress; Done (2) is done. The types map one to one, with Jira's Sub-task becoming sub-task. APP-7 keeps its parent APP-2, which in turn sits under the epic APP-1. The Blocker priority of APP-4 becomes Highest. One link (APP-5 blocks APP-3) is stored on both issues, two comments keep their authors and dates, and the custom field Customer is created as a text field.

There is one warning:

Jira exports only the total time spent per issue; it was imported as one work log entry per issue.

So the 11 hours of time spent arrive as one entry per issue, not as the original work logs.

The second example imports the same file as a kanban project with the key MOB: every issue key is renumbered to MOB-…, and the board gets no sprint backlog.

How to read the result

• Rows / Issues — data rows in the file and issues created; rows without a summary are skipped and counted in a warning.
• Statuses table — Jira status, the category it was given (from Jira's Status Category column when present, otherwise guessed from the name) and the number of issues.
• Issue types table — Jira type and Trackwell type.
• Columns table — every column of the file and whether it was used.
• The project file is offered as a download; open it in Trackwell with File → Open file….

Tips and common mistakes

• Export with all fields, not only the current columns, or sprints, links and comments are missing.
• Jira writes repeated columns for multi-value fields (several Labels or Sprint columns). They are all read.
• Dates like 02/Nov/26 9:00 AM are read as written; the time zone of the export is not in the file.
• Jira wiki markup in descriptions (h2., *bold*, {code}) is converted to Markdown.
• Statuses with unusual names may get the wrong category: change it afterwards in the app under Project → Workflow….
• Trackwell's own CSV export reads back with the same tool.

FAQ

Does it need my Jira login?

No. It only reads the CSV file; nothing is sent to Jira.

Are attachments imported?

No. A CSV export has no files. Download important attachments from Jira and attach them again.

What happens to unknown columns?

They are listed in the Columns table as not used. Custom fields become Trackwell custom fields.