External data connections for custom fields in Jira Cloud

Question

I would like to create some custom fields in Jira that connect to external data, preferably MSSQL (on an internal network server) or Sharepoint if connecting to an internal server is not possible.

What is the best way (app) to go about creating the connections?  I would like the data in the custom fields to be semi live, either have the fields populate at regular intervals (daily, weekly etc) or have a live connection to MSSQL or Sharepoint.  I am, however, concerned about a live connection that may cause performance issues with other SQL jobs, queries, etc and would prefer a connection that would refresh field options regularly.

What I would like to do is have a user enter an item number and the rest of the form would populate based on the item number match with the data retrieved from MSSQL or Sharepoint.

Elyes Gannoun [Elements] · Answer

@Allison L Wenner , yes we do provide this type of connection, available by directly connecting to Microsoft's REST API using Client Credentials flow.

You can follow the official Microsoft documentation and if needed, you can create a ticket on our support platform if any assistance is needed.

Allison L Wenner · Answer

Does your app connect to Sharepoint?

Elyes Gannoun [Elements] · Answer

Hello @Allison L Wenner ,

First, thank you @Kian Stack Mumo Systems for mentioning us, Elements Connect, as a good app :)

We do provide connected fields, that fetch data directly from different data source types (MSSQL or REST APIs).

We have not developed yet a way to refresh the data (we provide live fields on the Data Center of our app) because of performance issues like you mention but it is a subject that we are tackling right now.

We would love to talk to you regarding your use case and see how we can help solve it and shape our app for the future. If you're interested in talking to me, you can reach out directly using my personal calendar.

Let me know if you need further assistance!

Kind regards,
Elyes