Using the Jira field syncing feature

<body>
<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">The field syncing feature allows near real-time data sync between Zendesk Support and Jira. This provides information sharing between the two systems for better collaboration between support and engineering teams. This is done by mapping Jira issue fields to Zendesk Support ticket fields.</p>
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<p id="docs-ai-summary-toggle">Summary: <span id="up-triangle">◀</span><span id="down-triangle">▼</span></p>
<p id="docs-ai-summary-content">The field syncing feature enables near real-time data synchronization between support tickets and Jira issues by mapping compatible fields. It supports various field types with specific compatibility rules and allows one-way syncing from a single issue or ticket to multiple linked items. Syncing errors and limitations, such as no bidirectional sync or updates to closed tickets, are managed through an error report interface.</p>
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<div class="body">

<p class="p">The field syncing feature allows near real-time data sync between Zendesk Support and Jira.
This provides information sharing between the two systems for better collaboration between
support and engineering teams. This is done by mapping Jira issue fields to Zendesk Support
ticket fields.</p>
<p class="p">This article contains the following topics:</p>
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_fkb_5zh_2z__ul_x2h_k13_2z">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_cnd_yzh_2z">Requirements and limitations</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_ith_yzh_2z">Setting up field syncing</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p class="p">Related articles:</p>
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_fkb_5zh_2z__ul_qgq_fb3_2z">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408837969946" target="_blank">Setting up the Zendesk Support for Jira integration</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408827996058" target="_blank">Using the Zendesk Support for Jira integration</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_cnd_yzh_2z">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Requirements and limitations</h2>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_cnd_yzh_2z__ul_uqh_413_2z">
<li class="li">The supported versions are Jira Cloud and Jira Data Center.</li>
<li class="li">The field syncing feature is case-sensitive. Support field values must exactly match
Jira field values. To ensure successful synchronization between Zendesk and Jira custom
fields, the values must match exactly, including spelling, capitalization, and any
spaces (including trailing spaces). Even minor differences, such as an extra space at
the end of a value, will cause the sync to fail.</li>
<li class="li">Once data is synced, it cannot be removed easily. However, you can disable field
syncing altogether, which disables all field links.</li>
<li class="li">Sync direction can be set on a per-field basis, but only one mapping per field is
allowed.</li>
<li class="li">Bidirectional syncing of the same field is not supported.</li>
<li class="li">The field mapping screen displays custom field types from all Jira projects in a
single list.</li>
<li class="li">Custom ticket status fields aren't supported and cannot be mapped.</li>
<li class="li">All mapped fields for a particular issue or ticket are updated via a single API call.
If a mapped field is misconfigured, all fields will not be updated.</li>
<li class="li">Syncing a field from multiple linked tickets to a Jira issue field, or from multiple
Jira issues to a field on a ticket, is not supported and causes the sync to stop for the
particular ticket or issue. See <a class="xref" href="#topic_dmz_wc3_2z">Many-to-one-syncing</a>. </li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested2" id="topic_dcx_5dl_rbb">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title3">Field type syncing compatibility</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">There are some restrictions on the field types that are compatible with syncing. For
example, a Zendesk decimal field with a numeric display cannot sync with a Jira multi-line
text field.</p>
<p class="p">The tables below list field mapping compatibility. </p>
<div class="p">
<div class="tablenoborder">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" class="table" frame="border" id="topic_dcx_5dl_rbb__table_b25_z2l_rbb" rules="all" summary="">
<caption><span class="tablecap"><span class="table--title-label">Table 1. </span>Zendesk ticket fields and compatible Jira issue fields</span></caption>
<colgroup>
<col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
<col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
<col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
</colgroup>
<thead class="thead" style="text-align:left;">
<tr class="row">
<th class="entry cellrowborder" id="d87e147" style="vertical-align:top;">Field title/type</th>
<th class="entry cellrowborder" id="d87e150" style="vertical-align:top;">Display type</th>
<th class="entry cellrowborder" id="d87e153" style="vertical-align:top;">Compatible Jira issue field type(s)</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody class="tbody">
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e147" style="vertical-align:top;">Priority (default)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e150" style="vertical-align:top;">Drop-down<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> You
can't sync the Zendesk Priority field to the Jira Priority
field</div>
</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e153" style="vertical-align:top;">Text field (read-only)<p class="p">Select list</p>
<p class="p">Text field (single
line)</p>
<p class="p">Text field (multi-line)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e147" style="vertical-align:top;">Type (default)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e150" style="vertical-align:top;">Drop-down</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e153" style="vertical-align:top;">Text field (read-only)<p class="p">Select list</p>
<p class="p">Text field (single
line)</p>
<p class="p">Text field (multi-line)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e147" style="vertical-align:top;">Date (custom)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e150" style="vertical-align:top;">Date</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e153" style="vertical-align:top;">Date picker<p class="p">Due date</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e147" style="vertical-align:top;">Decimal (custom)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e150" style="vertical-align:top;">Number</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e153" style="vertical-align:top;">Number field</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e147" style="vertical-align:top;">Numeric (custom)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e150" style="vertical-align:top;">Number</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e153" style="vertical-align:top;">Number field</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e147" style="vertical-align:top;">Drop-down list (custom)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e150" style="vertical-align:top;">Drop-down</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e153" style="vertical-align:top;">Text field (read-only)<p class="p">Select list</p>
<p class="p">Text field (single
line)</p>
<p class="p">Text field (multi-line)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e147" style="vertical-align:top;">Text (custom)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e150" style="vertical-align:top;">Single line text</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e153" style="vertical-align:top;">Description<p class="p">Environment</p>
Text field (read-only)<p class="p">Select
list</p>
<p class="p">Summary</p>
<p class="p">Text field (single line)</p>
<p class="p">Text field
(multi-line)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e147" style="vertical-align:top;">Multi-line text (custom)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e150" style="vertical-align:top;">Multi-line text</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e153" style="vertical-align:top;">Text field (multi-line)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<div class="tablenoborder">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" class="table" frame="border" id="topic_dcx_5dl_rbb__table_j1b_jfl_rbb" rules="all" summary="">
<caption><span class="tablecap"><span class="table--title-label">Table 2. </span>Jira issue fields and compatible Zendesk ticket fields</span></caption>
<colgroup>
<col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
<col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
<col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
</colgroup>
<thead class="thead" style="text-align:left;">
<tr class="row">
<th class="entry cellrowborder" id="d87e310" style="vertical-align:top;">Field title/type</th>
<th class="entry cellrowborder" id="d87e313" style="vertical-align:top;">Display type</th>
<th class="entry cellrowborder" id="d87e316" style="vertical-align:top;">Compatible Zendesk ticket field type(s)</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody class="tbody">
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e310" style="vertical-align:top;">Description (default)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e313" style="vertical-align:top;">Multi-line text</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e316" style="vertical-align:top;">Multi-line text</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e310" style="vertical-align:top;">Due date (default)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e313" style="vertical-align:top;">Date</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e316" style="vertical-align:top;">Date</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e310" style="vertical-align:top;">Environment (default)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e313" style="vertical-align:top;">Multi-line text</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e316" style="vertical-align:top;">Multi-line text</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e310" style="vertical-align:top;">Fix versions (default)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e313" style="vertical-align:top;">Fix versions</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e316" style="vertical-align:top;">Text<p class="p">Multi-line text</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e310" style="vertical-align:top;">Priority (default)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e313" style="vertical-align:top;">Priority
<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Only syncs from Jira to Zendesk</div>
</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e316" style="vertical-align:top;">Text<p class="p">Multi-line text</p>
<p class="p">Drop-down list</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e310" style="vertical-align:top;">Sprint (default)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e313" style="vertical-align:top;">Sprint</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e316" style="vertical-align:top;">Text<p class="p">Multi-line text</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e310" style="vertical-align:top;">Status (default)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e313" style="vertical-align:top;">Status</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e316" style="vertical-align:top;">Text<p class="p">Multi-line text</p>
<p class="p">Drop-down list</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e310" style="vertical-align:top;">Summary (default)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e313" style="vertical-align:top;">Single line text</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e316" style="vertical-align:top;">Text<p class="p">Multi-line text</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e310" style="vertical-align:top;">Date (custom)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e313" style="vertical-align:top;">Date</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e316" style="vertical-align:top;">Text<p class="p">Multi-line text</p>
<p class="p">Date</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e310" style="vertical-align:top;">Number (custom)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e313" style="vertical-align:top;">Number</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e316" style="vertical-align:top;">Numeric<p class="p">Decimal</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e310" style="vertical-align:top;">Read-only text field (custom)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e313" style="vertical-align:top;">Read-only text field</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e316" style="vertical-align:top;">Text<p class="p">Multi-line text</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e310" style="vertical-align:top;">Select (custom)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e313" style="vertical-align:top;">Drop-down</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e316" style="vertical-align:top;">Text<p class="p">Multi-line
text</p>
<p class="p">Drop-down</p>
<p class="p">Type</p>
<p class="p">Priority</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e310" style="vertical-align:top;">Text field (custom)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e313" style="vertical-align:top;">Single line text</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e316" style="vertical-align:top;">Text<p class="p">Multi-line text</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e310" style="vertical-align:top;">Text area (custom)</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e313" style="vertical-align:top;">Multi-line text</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d87e316" style="vertical-align:top;">Multi-line text</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested1" id="topic_ith_yzh_2z">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title4">Setting up field syncing</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Field syncing is set up using a mapping interface.</p>
<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Field syncing only affects tickets and issues created after the sync feature is set up. It
does not update previously created tickets and issues. However, when a previously created
ticket or issue is edited or updated, field syncing is applied.</div>
<p class="p">Zendesk Support and Jira have different field types, which adds complexity to the syncing
process. It requires following certain rules when creating field mapping to ensure syncing
works as expected. </p>
<p class="p">Both system (default) and custom fields are supported. However, only a subset of all
available field types are supported. Additionally, there are limitations as to which Jira
field type can be synced to a Zendesk Support field type, and vice-versa. For instance, a
text field cannot be synced to a datetime field. To prevent misconfiguration, the user
interface hides field types that are not supported, and greys out invalid mapping
options.</p>
<p class="p">Because data synced fields cannot be unsynced, we recommend that you test your field
syncing in a test environment or sandbox. If necessary, you can disable the field syncing
feature by removing all field mappings. This stops syncing subsequent data changes.</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To configure and activate field syncing</strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_ith_yzh_2z__ol_vz1_s23_2z">
<li class="li">Log in to your Jira account with admin privileges.</li>
<li class="li">In the top navigation bar, select <strong class="ph b">Apps </strong>&gt;<strong class="ph b"> Manage your apps </strong>&gt;<strong class="ph b">
Zendesk Support for Jira </strong>&gt;<strong class="ph b"> Configure </strong>&gt;<strong class="ph b"> Field Mapping</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Use the drop-down menus to select the Jira issue ticket field and Zendesk Support
ticket fields you want to map.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_ith_yzh_2z__image_tt4_cg3_2z" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/sync_to_jira.png"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Add</strong>. The synced fields are added to the Field Mapping list.</li>
<li class="li">Repeat for additional mapped fields.</li>
<li class="li">When you're finished mapping fields, click <strong class="ph b">Save &amp; Sync</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested2" id="topic_dmz_wc3_2z">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title5">Many-to-one syncing</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can sync a field from a single Jira issue to multiple Zendesk Support tickets, or a
field from a single Support ticket to multiple Jira issues. In this case, the syncing only
occurs in one direction, from the single issue or ticket to multiple tickets or issues,
respectively.</p>
<p class="p">However, syncing a field from multiple linked tickets to a Jira issue field, or from
multiple Jira issues to a field on a ticket, is not supported. Configuring field sync this
way causes syncing to stop for this particular ticket or issue. To link multiple tickets
to a Jira issue and use sync, we recommend implementing a problem/incident concept as
described in <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408835103898" target="_blank">Working with problem and incident tickets</a>.</p>
<p class="p">The Jira issue key is a special case. If multiple issues are linked to the same ticket,
all their keys will appear on the ticket.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" class="topic nested2" id="topic_qlr_xd3_2z">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title6">Syncing closed tickets</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Unlike Jira, Zendesk does not allow closed tickets to be updated. This means that when
attempting to sync Jira issues to Zendesk tickets, it may fail if the ticket is already
closed. You will be able to see this error on the Zendesk Support for Jira add-on <a class="xref" href="#topic_qgx_fh3_2z">Error Report</a> screen.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title7" class="topic nested2" id="topic_qgx_fh3_2z">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title7">Errors</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Since syncing happens behind the scenes, errors are displayed on a dedicated screen. The
error report screen allows the user to identify and resolve invalid field mappings as well
as other configuration issues.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_qgx_fh3_2z__image_d4c_nh3_2z" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/sync_error.png"></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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