CSV import parent-child issues in the same CSV but not working as expected

Question

Hi Atlassian Community,

I’m trying to import Jira issues via CSV, but as a non-admin user, I don’t have access to all import options. Importing parent and child issues works successfully when using Issue ID and Parent ID, and they appear correctly in the issue hierarchy view.

However, the issue linking is not reflecting the correct relationship. When I import using the Issue Linking field with a Parent-Child relationship, the hierarchy is reversed—child issues become parents and vice versa. Despite setting up the correct hierarchy at the backend, the issue linking still displays incorrectly.

Has anyone encountered this issue before? Any guidance on ensuring the correct parent-child relationship in linked issues during import would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

lakshyajeet.swami · Answer

Current Situation:

When importing issues from a CSV file into JIRA, using the linkage/issue linking field instead of the actual parent-child relationship, the import process often reverses the intended hierarchy. For example, if I specify ABC-1 as the parent, it is incorrectly imported as the child, and vice-versa.

To address this in a sandbox instance, I created an additional issue link type called "Child - Parent." However, this is not a viable long-term solution. I already have a "Parent - Child" linkage available and should be able to import issues with the correct parent-child relationship without creating unnecessary linkages.

Desired Outcome:

* Correct Parent-Child Relationship: When importing issues, the specified parent issue (e.g., ABC-1) should be correctly recognized as the parent of all imported child issues.
* Existing Tickets as Parents: If a ticket already exists in the system, it should be designated as the parent of the imported tickets, rather than being incorrectly assigned as a child.
* Manual Process Works: Manually creating or updating the parent-child relationship within JIRA works as expected, and this functionality should be mirrored during the import process.

Problem Details:

* Incorrect Hierarchy: The import process currently reverses the parent-child relationship, making the existing ticket the child when the "Parent - Child" link type is selected.
* Unnecessary Linkages: Creating additional link types (e.g., "Child - Parent") is not a sustainable solution and adds complexity.

Solution Requirements:

* Accurate Import Mapping: Ensure that the CSV import process correctly maps the parent-child relationships as specified in the CSV file.
* Consistent Behavior: The import process should behave consistently with the manual process, maintaining the correct hierarchy without creating additional link types.

Vishal Biyani_2pr07j · Answer

@lakshyajeet_swami

While doing CSV import, can you share the screenshot of how the fields from CSV is being mapped to JIRA fields?

Note that parent is the recommended JIRA field to be used.

Also, can you confirm if parent issue exists when child issues are being imported?

You can also refer to this link for more details