What's the difference between Jira DC and Cloud QA | July 30th, 2026

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Hey all,

Below are some questions from a recent "Whats the difference between DC and Cloud" session I ran. Sharing them all in case folks find them interesting, and drop your questions on DC, Cloud (or anything else!) below!

~Rob

Question 1 – How to move from Structure view Jira Data Center to Jira Cloud where Structures are not activated (only Epic, Tasks and Subtasks are possible)? What are the Best practices for this transformation?

• Answer: This is a great question! Assuming you're referring to Tempo's product called "Structure" check out their listing and support materials on the Marketplace.

Question 2 – Does the search work across both Jira and Confluence?

• Answer: Yes. While quick search looks in the current app, clicking the global search (magnifying glass) searches across Jira, Confluence, Assets, and other connected systems. You can filter out specific systems if you want (e.g. ONLY look in a few).

Question 3 – Can you still star filters and dashboards?

• Answer: Yes, you can star filters, plans dashboards, boards, and spaces to save them in your Starred menu. Note you cannot start individual work items.

Question 4 – Does the AI roam Google, or only Atlassian information?

• Answer: Rovo connects to Atlassian apps by default, but admins can optionally authenticate and connect it to external systems like Google Drive/Mail or Microsoft 365. In chat you can also include or exclude "web search" which will crawl the greater web.

Question 5 – Does it query O365 if the graph connector is installed?

• Answer: Yes, if an organization's admin authenticates and integrates Microsoft 365 into the stack, Rovo can query connected content (while strictly respecting user access permissions). Many other systems can also be connected, so check with your Org Admin (typically in IT) for more info.

Question 6 – When updates are applied, do all users get notified of release notes or is it sent to site admins only?

• Answer: End users do not automatically get emailed for every update; admins have access to release tracks, and Atlassian posts public update notes on their release notes pages. 

Question 7 – Is ROVO closed source or have ability to limit exposure to protected health information?

• Answer: Rovo’s data privacy, security, and compliance details are governed by Atlassian's official trust framework. For specific compliance evaluations (e.g., PHI/HIPAA), teams should review Atlassian Trust Center alongside internal legal and compliance teams.

Question 8 – Does heavy Rovo use extend the costs?

• Answer: Atlassian tracks credit/consumption limits for admins, but as of now, access is not cut off nor are additional fees charged for exceeding limits. Atlassian has stated they will provide a 90-day notice if pricing policies change.

Question 9 – Can you automate daily summaries of comments for tasks in a space and tie those to progress of an epic on a roadmap?

• Answer: Scheduled automations can be set up to iterate through work items and generate comment summaries or updates using AI/Rovo actions, so yes! You would want to setup an automation to run on a daily basis, and then trigger a specific Agent.

Question 10 – Does Rovo have the concept of a skill like in Claude?

• Answer: Yes, Rovo uses skills that allow it to create work items or execute actions across connected systems depending on administrator permissions.

Question 11 – How is Ask AI different than Rovo?

• Answer: Historically, Atlassian used "Atlassian Intelligence" (AI) before introducing "Rovo", but functionally in the user interface, both refer to the underlying AI capability assisting with searches, summaries, and content generation.

Question 12 – What is the assignee recommendation based on? Does it take into account skills or seniority?

• Answer: Recommendations are primarily based on historical user interaction patterns and recent collaboration history with team members, rather than analyzing formal employee seniority or skill sets. There is a product called "Talent" that allows teams to find specific skills, but to the best of my knowledge this doesn't feed into the assignee recommendations.

Question 13 – What is capacity in Jira Plans based on?

• Answer: Capacity in Jira Plans is calculated using user-entered values such as story points or time estimates assigned to the work items. More here!

Question 14 – Can we still include team notifications and custom scripts inside the automation based on custom fields, and are there rate limits?

• Answer: Automations support custom fields, smart values, webhooks, and team notifications. Extended scripting can be handled via marketplace add-ons like ScriptRunner. 

Question 15 – Can we design the embed in Confluence (like a macro)?

• Answer: The basic pasted link embed style is fixed by Atlassian. However, using the "Jira Work Items" macro in Confluence allows customization of displayed columns, inline links, and specific JQL filtering.

Question 16 – What will we miss from Jira DC, both as admins and users?

• Answer: Key differences include boards being tied strictly to a single space in Cloud (rather than multi-space boards across multiple projects), the absence of a dedicated top-level "Boards" menu (which now requires using the Search tool), and differences in administration scope. That said, everyone may have a slightly different answer to this one!

Question 17 – Is it possible to customize work item hierarchy (parent to child) in Cloud?

• Answer: Yes, Jira admins can customize the issue hierarchy levels (e.g., laddering Tasks/Stories up to Epics, Projects, and Initiatives) within Cloud administrative settings.

Question 18 – Are marketplace apps less necessary in Cloud?

• Answer: While Cloud includes built-in features that reduce the need for certain basic utilities, specialized app categories (e.g., testing tools like Zephyr/Xray) remain necessary. Feature parity between DC and Cloud varies per vendor, so admins should check vendor support documentation on the Atlassian Marketplace.