Update one field in multiple issues in Jira by CSV import

Question

I'd like to add labels to multiple issues (over 6,000) by importing CSV file. I did a test run on a small batch with only 3 columns in the file: Summary, Issue Key and Labels and it worked perfectly.

The documentation says that: Importing a CSV to update existing issues will reset columns to their default values if they are not specified in the CSV.

I didn't experience that in the test run - all other fields were as before.

So my question is - was it a one time luck? If it was luck - do I have to specify every single field in CSV even if I want to only update one field? Or is there a workaround?

Joanna Zembrowska · Answer

Just to double check if we understand each other correctly - do I have to a column for every single field?

I only want to change values in one column, which is why in the CSV file I want to have only Summary, Key and Labels (column I want to change).

Will different fields change to default when I don't specify them in CSV, as in - won't have columns mapped with every single field possible.

Petter Gonçalves · Answer

Hello Joanna,

Thank you for reaching out.

In fact, there are some custom fields that might be updated with their default values if not specified in the CSV.

In order to make sure your issues did not get with a missing value when performing the update, I recommend the following:

- Navigate to your issue navigator > Create a filter to export all the issues you want to update > Click on Export > Export Excel CSV (All fields):

- Once you export, open the file and update the fields you want

- Then, import the file back to JIRA

P.S: I recommend you to perform these changes in a test environment first by Signing-up for a new cloud test instance. This action will let you confirm the update will work as you expect since you have a high number of issues.

Let us know if this information helps.