Import boards from Jira Server to Jira Cloud or keep a board in Jira Cloud when deleting a project

[Alin Faur]

Hi Everyone,

I'm working to move data from a Jira Server to Jira Cloud and our strategy is to migrate projects individually as we work in a controlled environment, teams use different schemas and we also want to take advantage of this to do some clean-up.

We're using the CSV Export/Import method to migrate our data and part of the strategy is to create the empty project into cloud, import data, validate the import (including addressing any inconsistencies) and then redo (delete the project, create again, import all data again and disable the server-side project).

During the test imports, we're also manually creating the boards associated with the projects so that the migration can be properly validated, and here's where I have questions:

1. is it possible to export Jira Server boards and import them into Jira Cloud? Ideally without a 3rd party application or add-on (although we do have a bunch available, including ScriptRunner)
2. if the first option is not available, then is it possible to completely delete a Jira Cloud project but keep the associated boards? Our hope here is that, by keeping the boards after having deleted the project and then re-creating a new project with the same project key, the old boards, which are built on JQL filters, will simply work.

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks,

--

Alin

[Walter Buggenhout · Accepted solution]

Hi @Alin Faur,

When you migrate from Jira Server to cloud using the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant , only boards associated with a single project will be migrated. Cross project boards cannot be migrated at all and must be recreated separately in Cloud.

Through a manual import (csv as you describe), there is no way to migrate boards. You are just migrating the data that way and no configuration.

Boards in Jira are associated with a location. One thing you can do is move a board to a different project or a user profile. That way, you could keep it intact when deleting the project it was originally associated with. To do so, navigate to <your site>.atlassian.net/jira/boards. Locate the board you want to move and from the ... button behind it select move to assign it to a different location.

I have heard of users who deleted projects but were still seeing the board afterwards. So it may even be unnecessary to do this. I prefer the approach of better safe than sorry. And I'm quite sure that associating boards to a location you control only helps in keeping organised.

Hope this helps!

[Alin Faur]

Hi Walter,

Thanks for the advice!

I'm going to test out moving the board and see how that works.

I've also read experiences of other users saying that the boards haven't been removed after project remove, but it's not our case (we already confirmed that the board goes when the project goes :-) ).

Thanks,

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Alin