project configuration: how to copy over project, workflow, settings without copying data

[Han Dee]

Is it possible to transfer the  project/workflow/settings from a project set up by another subscriber using Jira - which they are happy to share - without copying over the data as well? 

[Trudy Claspill]

Hello @Han Dee 

Welcome to the Atlassian community.

Do you mean you are using different Jira instances - you have two different URLs for accessing Jira?

If the source project is a Company Managed project then as @Nikola Perisic said a second project can be created using the Share Configuration option in the source Jira instance.

That empty project could then be copied to your other Jira instance using the Copy Data feature:

https://support.atlassian.com/organization-administration/docs/copy-product-data/

You should thoroughly review the information on this option to understand the requirements for using this option, and to understand what is and is not copied. For example data and customizations based on third party apps will not be copied. Also, if you have configuration items with the same names in the destination instance (for example issue types or schemes with the same names) then new items may be created during the process with some text appended to the item name as it is created in the destination site. I would strongly recommend that you try the process using a test instance or sandbox environment before trying the process with your Production instance as the destination.

In the end you may find that it is simpler to manually recreate the single project's configuration than it is to use the Copy Data feature.

[Luka Hummel - codefortynine]

Hi @Han Dee and welcome to the community!

Yes, it is possible to copy (most of) a project’s configuration without copying the existing issue data - both with native Jira features and, more flexibly, with our app Deep Clone for Jira.

There are two slightly different scenarios:

• Same Jira site (same base URL as the other user)
• Different Jira sites (you each have your own Jira Cloud URL)

If you are on the same Jira site, you can use the Share settings feature Nikola already mentioned if you don't want to edit the schemes. Any future change to a shared scheme (for example, editing the workflow) will affect both projects.

If you want a copy of the configuration (so you can diverge later) rather than shared schemes, you can use Deep Clone’s Project Clone:

1. Install Deep Clone for Jira from the Atlassian Marketplace.
2. In Jira, go to Apps > Deep Clone > Project Clone.
3. Select the existing project as the Source project and enter key/name for the new project.
4. (Optional but recommended) In the Advanced scheme options, choose Clone source scheme instead of Keep source scheme for the schemes you want to decouple (workflow, issue type, permission scheme, etc.). This creates new copies of those schemes, so changes in one project don’t affect the other.
   
5. Click Clone project. Deep Clone creates the new project with its configuration but no issues yet.
6. On the next screen (Bulk Clone dialog), simply click Cancel to skip cloning the issues.

You will get a new project that mirrors the original project’s configuration (workflows, issue types, screens, permissions, notifications, components, versions, etc.) but contains no data. You can then safely adjust the cloned schemes independently.

If you are on different Jira sites (different URLs) you can do the same with Deep Clone for Jira's Instance Clone feature and Project Clone to another instance. You even save some clicks, as Clone source scheme is the default option when cloning projects across instances.

[Nikola Perisic]

Hello @Han Dee 

Yes, when you are creating a new company-managed projects (which can only be done by Jira admins), you need to select the option Share settings. This will share all of the schemes from the previous project except components and versions and people. Be aware that when you make a change on one scheme it will reflect in the other.

[Han Dee]

thanks for this. Would this still work between two different accounts? Bascially we are setting up an account adn wanting to copy what our colleagues have done. But we are workign across two different accounts. We could make our colleague an admin of our account if that would help with the process.