Admin CSV Import update losing connection to parent

[Ronald Smart]

We are importing through CSV in a team-managed project

We are getting the following

Unable to retrieve issue key for parent: PROJ-744

It breaks the link to the parent when we run this and we have to manually reconnect it.  The dates update, and we can change the Issue Type, but keep losing the parent connection.

Here is a current CSV format example:

Key,Summary,Start Date,End Date,Issue Type,Parent,Work item Id
PROJ-746,"Real project summary info here",2025-10-01,2025-12-31,Manufacturing & PC,PROJ-744,67871 

 Let me know what more I can provide...I did remove the company sensitive items.  

2025-10-07 16:21:20,287 INFO - Import started by "SPECIFICS WERE HERE IF NEEDED"
2025-10-07 16:21:20,407 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,407 INFO - Importing: Users
2025-10-07 16:21:20,407 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,407 INFO - Only new items will be imported
2025-10-07 16:21:20,412 INFO - 0 users associated with import. All of them imported as inactive, this can be changed after import in User Access step.
2025-10-07 16:21:20,412 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,412 INFO - Finished Importing : Users
2025-10-07 16:21:20,412 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,412 INFO - 0 users successfully created.
2025-10-07 16:21:20,418 INFO - Retrieving projects...
2025-10-07 16:21:20,446 INFO - Project ExternalProject{id='null', key='PROJ', externalName='null', name='OUR COMPANY Master Project Schedule', type='business', template='null'} exists and found correctly.
2025-10-07 16:21:20,446 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,446 INFO - Importing: Versions
2025-10-07 16:21:20,446 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,446 INFO - Only new items will be imported
2025-10-07 16:21:20,446 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,446 INFO - Finished Importing : Versions
2025-10-07 16:21:20,446 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,449 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,449 INFO - Importing: Components
2025-10-07 16:21:20,449 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,449 INFO - Only new items will be imported
2025-10-07 16:21:20,449 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,449 INFO - Finished Importing : Components
2025-10-07 16:21:20,449 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,459 INFO - Retrieving custom fields...
2025-10-07 16:21:20,469 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,469 INFO - Importing: Work Items
2025-10-07 16:21:20,469 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,469 INFO - Only new items will be imported
2025-10-07 16:21:20,622 WARN - Unable to retrieve issue key for parent : PROJ-744 
2025-10-07 16:21:20,634 INFO - Updating work item: [externalId='67871', summary='Project summary stuff was here']
2025-10-07 16:21:20,842 INFO - 0 out of 1 work items successfully created
2025-10-07 16:21:20,842 INFO - 1 work items successfully updated
2025-10-07 16:21:20,848 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,848 INFO - Finished Importing : Work Items
2025-10-07 16:21:20,848 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,895 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,895 INFO - Importing: Work item 
2025-10-07 16:21:20,895 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,895 INFO - Only new items will be imported
2025-10-07 16:21:20,902 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,902 INFO - Finished Importing : Work item 
2025-10-07 16:21:20,902 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,903 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,903 INFO - Importing: Work item remote links
2025-10-07 16:21:20,903 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,903 INFO - Only new items will be imported
2025-10-07 16:21:20,909 INFO - ------------------------------
2025-10-07 16:21:20,909 INFO - Finished Importing : Work item remote links
2025-10-07 16:21:20,909 INFO - ------------------------------

[John Funk]

Hi Ronald, 

Can you verify if you are creating new issues or updating existing issues?

[Ronald Smart]

Updating existing issues.  They were attached to parent, but though the dates update, it disconnects from the parent.

[John Funk]

Were you updating the parent value? If not, just removed that column from the update, it is not needed. 

[Ronald Smart]

Wow, you are talking sense to me, but our original attempts had only the below:
Key,Summary,Start Date,End Date
....and they disconnect from the parent each time so we've been trying to keep them connected by adding the other info to no avail.

Original attempt example:

Key,Summary,Start Date,End Date
PROJ-746,"Real project summary info here",2025-10-01,2025-12-31

Any advice?  Do I still need the Issue Type or something?

[John Funk]

No you don't need the issue type either. Just include the fields you are actually changing/updating - and the issue key, of course. That should not disconnect or update the parent field, unless there is some other rule that is also firing on update. Do a small batch or just a couple of tests for a couple of work items. If it disconnects the issues from the parent, then check that issue to see if another automation rule fired.