Using the Jira field syncing feature

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.


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Summary: ◀▼
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.




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.
This article contains the following topics:


Requirements and limitations
Setting up field syncing


Related articles:


Setting up the Zendesk Support for Jira integration
Using the Zendesk Support for Jira integration




Requirements and limitations



The supported versions are Jira Cloud and Jira Data Center.
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.
Once data is synced, it cannot be removed easily. However, you can disable field
syncing altogether, which disables all field links.
Sync direction can be set on a per-field basis, but only one mapping per field is
allowed.
Bidirectional syncing of the same field is not supported.
The field mapping screen displays custom field types from all Jira projects in a
single list.
Custom ticket status fields aren't supported and cannot be mapped.
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.
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 Many-to-one-syncing.




Field type syncing compatibility

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.
The tables below list field mapping compatibility.



Table 1. Zendesk ticket fields and compatible Jira issue fields







Field title/type
Display type
Compatible Jira issue field type(s)




Priority (default)
Drop-down
Note: You
can't sync the Zendesk Priority field to the Jira Priority
field

Text field (read-only) Select list
Text field (single
line)
Text field (multi-line)



Type (default)
Drop-down
Text field (read-only) Select list
Text field (single
line)
Text field (multi-line)



Date (custom)
Date
Date picker Due date



Decimal (custom)
Number
Number field


Numeric (custom)
Number
Number field


Drop-down list (custom)
Drop-down
Text field (read-only) Select list
Text field (single
line)
Text field (multi-line)



Text (custom)
Single line text
Description Environment
Text field (read-only) Select
list
Summary
Text field (single line)
Text field
(multi-line)



Multi-line text (custom)
Multi-line text
Text field (multi-line)






Table 2. Jira issue fields and compatible Zendesk ticket fields







Field title/type
Display type
Compatible Zendesk ticket field type(s)




Description (default)
Multi-line text
Multi-line text


Due date (default)
Date
Date


Environment (default)
Multi-line text
Multi-line text


Fix versions (default)
Fix versions
Text Multi-line text



Priority (default)
Priority

Note: Only syncs from Jira to Zendesk

Text Multi-line text
Drop-down list



Sprint (default)
Sprint
Text Multi-line text



Status (default)
Status
Text Multi-line text
Drop-down list



Summary (default)
Single line text
Text Multi-line text



Date (custom)
Date
Text Multi-line text
Date



Number (custom)
Number
Numeric Decimal



Read-only text field (custom)
Read-only text field
Text Multi-line text



Select (custom)
Drop-down
Text Multi-line
text
Drop-down
Type
Priority



Text field (custom)
Single line text
Text Multi-line text



Text area (custom)
Multi-line text
Multi-line text









Setting up field syncing

Field syncing is set up using a mapping interface.

Note: 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.
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.
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.
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.
To configure and activate field syncing


Log in to your Jira account with admin privileges.
In the top navigation bar, select Apps > Manage your apps >
Zendesk Support for Jira > Configure > Field Mapping.
Use the drop-down menus to select the Jira issue ticket field and Zendesk Support
ticket fields you want to map.

Click Add. The synced fields are added to the Field Mapping list.
Repeat for additional mapped fields.
When you're finished mapping fields, click Save & Sync.




Many-to-one syncing

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.
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 Working with problem and incident tickets.
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.



Syncing closed tickets

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 Error Report screen.



Errors

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.




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