Safe to delete custom field values directly from the database for issues out of context?

Mathias HD

 

Hi Community,

I've recently changed the context of a custom field from global to a specific project context in Jira. Now, I've identified that there are still many issues outside the new context that retain values for this custom field, which is leading to null value errors and other issues.

"java.lang.NullPointerException: null value in entry: customfield_11724=null"

My current plan is to manually delete these orphaned custom field directly from the database. However, I'm concerned about potential impacts on data integrity and whether this approach aligns with best practices.

Questions:

1. Is it wise to manually delete these custom field directly from the database?
2. Are there any potential risks or considerations I should be aware of before proceeding with this method?
3. Would using Jira's bulk edit feature be a safer alternative for cleaning up these orphaned values?
4. Can anyone share their experiences or best practices for handling this kind of data cleanup in Jira?

Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

 

P.S. A background reindex did notthing so far.

 

Nicolas Grossi

@Mathias HD Answers bellow:

 

1 - No

2 - You should not proceed with that method.

3 - Yes.

4 You are in a good path (Not de DB one )

 

Bulk edit is an option, be sure that the new context is correctly applied, once you are sure, reindex db before continue.

 

Nicolas