What is the best way or addon to import XML?

Question

I am trying to import an XML from a secondary tool into JIRA.  We used the other tool to act as a RFI tracking tool and the XML has a lot of our group projects/powerpoints/etc embbed.

I would like to not lose that data/knowledge and am looking for the best way either included in JIRA or from the Atlassian store in an addon capacity to ease this transition.

Thanks

Matt

Akmal Harith · Answer

Hi Matt,

Unfortunately, the existing XML file will never match Jira as they're from different data models. They can't just simply be restored on a totally differently designed application.

Using CSV, you can import attachments too by adding an Attachment column (or more Attachment columns) in case a particular issue has multiple attachments.

What tool are you coming from by the way?

Akmal

Matthew Botts · Answer

Akmal

Thanks for responding!  The XML file is actually from a sepearate tool altogether.  We are looking to close that tool down and move to use JIRA as the project management.  In order to save time (4 years worth of data and no one wants to hand jam that-;)  ) I was looking for a way make the transition as seamless as possible.

I think if we convert to a CSV we lose a lot of the attached documents and that would cause a lot of extra work.

Sorry if this doesn't help at all.

Akmal Harith · Answer

Hey Matt,

May I know if the XML file is actually the data pulled from your tool? Typically an XML data is an XML version of the underlying entity model, pulled out of the database. Jira has it's own data model and if you are referring to an XML data from the other tool, you won't be able to restore it in Jira because they don't match each other.

It is a much better choice to use CSV instead to import the data from the other tool to Jira. CSV is supported by most applications that handle tabulated data. It's far more manageable and you can easily fix a CSV file rather than correcting the entities in the XML data that you already have.

Please take a look at Importing data from CSV and let me know what you think.

Best regards, 
Akmal Harith | Atlassian Support