Sub-tasks not imported with External System Import

Question

I know there are many issues about this already and I read through SO MANY of them, and it still won't work.

BUT, whatever I try, I cannot get a csv file with Epics, Tasks, Stories, Bugs, and Subtasks to import the Subtasks.

I am an Admin and we are on the Standard plan.

* The csv was downloaded from JIRA, from a Team Managed software space
* I reordered the work items to have all the epics first, then the Tasks/StoriesBugs, and then the Subtasks
* I used the Spaces + Import Data functionality to upload the csv file* Creating a new Space first and then importing doesn't work, because there is no option to map the Status from the csv to a field

* I set it up as a Company Managed Software Scrum space
* I mapped all relevant fields from the csv, including the Parent and Issue ID fields* There was NO option to map Parent ID

* On the Work Item Type screen, all +1 and 0 level types were automatically mapped, but not the -1 level (Subtask), I mapped that manually
* The import was successful for all Work Item Types BUT Subtasks

Questions:

* Should I have grouped Work Items together in their hierarchy, immediately below each other? Ie row 1 = epic, row 2 = task, row 3 = subtask, then row 4 = new epic, row 5 = task, row 6 = subtask, etc.?
* Is the Parent field enough to link a Task and a Subtask? It seems to work for level +1 to level 0 items, but not one down.
* Can I import subtasks separately and link them to their parents that already exist in the Space now?
* If I create the Space first and then import (accepting I will lose the Status value), will that work?

Thank you so much - what a faff these Subtasks are!

Sascha H_ · Answer

Wait a second... are these just 'subtasks' or do they have a specific name? In your export: What do the subtasks have in column 'Type'? When they have a specific name they might not be recognized as subtasks during import at all.

Sascha H_ · Answer

Hi @Saskia van _t Hoff ,

first of all: It's not you. Subtasks import is a real bitch.

Your questions:

1. Definitely not. Your reordering approach was fine. You need to respect the work item hierarchy, of course. What I take you did.

2. No, 'Parent' is not enough to link Subtask and any work item within the same import. To transport this relation you need 'Issue ID' and 'Parent'. These two provide a .csv internal relation between work items and their subtasks. You could create this relations yourself by giving the very first item in your .csv e.g. ID '1' and have all its subtasks reference '1' as parent and so on. In your case this information ought to be intact already, since it came with the export you did. But however: This might be worth checking.

3. Yes, you can create the subtasks via a second/ later import.

4. This I can't answer. But i doubt that loosing the status is the only thing here. When there is only an emtpy space everything a work item needs is missing: screens, workflows... So my best guess here is: No, this will not work.

Some generic advise for your usecase:

Always do very little portions first on import, see what is the outcome. Create just one level 0 work item and its subtask. Create one branch of work item hierachy. And only if all this runs fine do the whole bunch.

And just to make sure: The work items you want subtasks attached to do end up on level 0?

Good luck and cheerio,

Sascha

John Funk · Answer

Hi Saskia,

You can create the parent and the child at the same time. Or you can create the child and reference the key of the parent when you import the child.

In my example below I have using Epic and Story, but Task and Sub-task would be the same process.

The last example is if you are just creating new Sub-task and linking it to an existing parent.