Can I Specify the Starting Number for Project Keys?

Question

I would like to be able to specify the starting number for auto-assigned items. This would be very beneficial since we are implementing Jira for our Help Desk many years after implementing our ERP system.

So, the current numbering for our software change project is somewhere around 1000. We get a lot of Help Desk requests, most of which do not become software change requests, so that number is right around 850. In a week or two, we expect to start running into potential duplicate ID's.

Having the ability to change a Project's next auto-assign number would be very helpful!

Nic Brough -Adaptavist- · Answer

There is a trick that requires no support type access.  Create a simple CSV file with one column (filled with unique ids - numbers are easiest) and a number of rows equivalent to the issues you want to skip.  Import it into the project, then delete the issues.  This will clock the number up to where you want to start.

Guilherme Luz · Answer

Hello Tony,

It's possible to change the start number for projects in Jira, to achieve this it's necessary to change a value directly in the Data Base. Reading to your questions, I couldn’t identify if you’re using Jira Server or Jira Cloud, so, I will be sharing the options for each product and you can follow the one according to your product.

* Jira Server

You can find all the steps to change the start number of Project Key for Jira Server on this KB.

* Jira Cloud

In case you’re using a Jira Cloud product, you won’t have access to the database to apply the change, since as per the Restricted Functions in Jira Cloud Applications, changes to the database aren’t possible in Jira Cloud. So in this case, if you prefer, you may open a ticket with the Atlassian Support team explaining your business case and requesting the change in the Project Key count and they can verify if this solution would be possible for your case.

Best regards,
Guilherme