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Does Jira reuse issue numbers from deleted issues?

Doug Olson

I am seeing an issue number in a project which should already have been issued in the recent past. For example, I created a bug today, the its assigned the issue number Project-1015.

That doesn't make sense, because the latest bug from the project is numbered Project-1037. I am expecting any new bugs to be numbered higher than Project-1037.

The only theory I have now is that in my case, someone deleted the bug which was numbered Project-1015, and so the next bug created gets that number again. Does Jira 4.1 work that way? If so, can I change it so it does not do that?

Accepted answers

All comments

Jobin Kuruvilla [Adaptavist]

It doesn't work that way. However, someone can hack the number creation by resetting the project counter in database. Anyone did that?

Out of the box, JIRA doesn't reissue the keys.

Doug Olson

No one did that to my knowledge. We are not dealing with a vanilla jira out of the box. It has been configured for a couple years, and the original admin is no longer around. Is it possible to configure jira to reissue those numbers when items are deleted, without hacking the project counter in the database like you mentioned? In other words, could it already be configured to reuse those numbers?

Jobin Kuruvilla [Adaptavist]

No configuration as far as I am aware. Possibly done using some plugins but can't say much without seeing your instance!

Nic Brough -Adaptavist-

Nope, it definitely does not do that, ever. The only time it reuses a number is if you entirely delete a project and then create a new one with the same name.

You definitely have a plugin doing something, or someone/something fiddling with the database counter.

Daren Edmiston

I have an instance of this also but in the ondemand instance, where an issue AA-123 was moved to a different project and became BB-456. BB-456 was then moved back and became AA-130, all acting as expected. But a different issue was moved and given key AA-123. I am able to view in activities the flow of the issues, and can see the number designation histories.

Nic Brough -Adaptavist-

I think you need to look more closely at the histories - I don't think this has happened, unless Atlassian have made massive changes to the product in the latest release.

Tim Colletto

I am having this exact same issue

Nic Brough -Adaptavist-

You have a plugin or (bad) user hacking your database and doing the wrong thing.