Request for Solution: Capturing Multiple Values per Field in a Single Issue in JSM

Question

Dear Members,

We are currently working on a use case in Jira Service Management where we need the ability to retain multiple values per field on a single issue over time.

Current Limitation:
In the standard Jira setup, each field on an issue can store only a single value. If the field is updated through the issue screen, the previous value is overwritten and cannot be retained unless tracked manually or through issue history. This limits us to capturing only one data point per field per issue.
Even though we are using Table Grid Next Generation, it relies on data coming from issue fields. Since issue fields can only store one value at a time, we are only able to populate a single row per issue in the grid.

What We Need:
We're looking for a way to capture and retain multiple values for the same field within a single issue.

Natalia_Kovalchuk_SaaSJet_ · Answer

Hi @Muammad Faizan Iftikhar ,

Yes, Jira fields can only hold one value at a time by default.

As a workaround, you can try using the Issue History for Jira app from my team if you are considering third-party apps. Using it, you can do the following:

* Track every change made to issue fields over time.
* View what the value used to be, when it was changed, and who exactly made the change.
* Export the whole field change history.

It will not display multiple values in a single field. Still, it will provide a complete record of all historical values, effectively letting you keep multiple values over time, which is what it sounds like you want to do.

Also, you can use the Field filter and choose the changes related to only some needed fields. For example, Due date field (in a field you will see its previous and current state):

Hope this solution can help in your case.

Petru Simion [Simitech Ltd.] · Answer

Hi @Muammad Faizan Iftikhar ,

You can write a scripted field that will parse automatically the issue history and display all the historic values the way you chose.

The advantage is that it will work with existing data as well as new data.

Other solutions, such as capturing the values in another field, every time the field of interest is changed will only work from the moment you implement the solution, while the scripted field will not have this problem.

Alternativelly, if you are open to using apps, you can use Issue History Dashboard for Jira (Work Item History) , an app developed by our company.

You can filter by Field Updated = [Your field]

The Value From and Value To columns will display the value of the field before and after the change.

You can export your result to CSV for further analysis and processing.

Regards,

Petru

Aron Gombas _Midori_ · Answer

To me, this use case is a bit strange, but a totally trivial automation rule could solve it. I assume you want to track the historical values of a field because you wrote "over time".

Let's say you have the field "Foo" and you need the 3 most recent values to know.

Steps:

* Add another field "Foo (prev)" (same type as "Foo").
* Add another field "Foo (prev 2)" (same type).
* Create an automation rule which:* Is triggered by the changes of the "Foo" field (after the new value was saved).
* Copies the current value of "Foo (prev)" to "Foo (prev 2)".
* Set the value of "Foo (prev)" from the smart value which is passed to the automation rule and carries the old value of "Foo".

With this approach, you have 3 separate fields (you can add them to any screens) that capture the current ("Foo"), previous ("Foo (prev)") and the previous to previous ("Foo (prev 2)") values.