Jira: Could not find this status change in transition histroy

Question

Hi everyone,

I hope you’re all doing well.

I’m reaching out for assistance regarding an issue I’m facing with our Jira server (v9.4.14) running on a Linux VM, which is configured with a datacenter license.

We use the "Time to SLA" plugin to track SLAs for suppliers.

The SLA is measured from when an issue is in the "Open" status until it is either "Accepted" or "Rejected" within a 24-hour window. The workflows are set up accordingly.

However, we’ve encountered a problem: sometimes suppliers transition issues from "Open" to "Accept" after the 24-hour deadline, resulting in SLA violations.

If we find the reasons for the delay justified, we update the transition date from "Open" to "Accept" directly in the database using SQL queries and then regenerate the SLA.

This process works well, but we’ve noticed that after updating the transition date, the transition history shows the tag as "unknown," as shown in the attached image.

Currently, we’re only updating the transition dates in the "changegroup" table. What additional steps should we take to ensure that Jira accurately reflects this status in the transition history?

I’d greatly appreciate any suggestions you might have.

Thank you!

bhimashankar_poddar · Answer

Hello @Lucas Modzelewski _Lumo_

Thank you for responding back.

Yes, I understand that modifying the data in database directly is very risky but I did know any other alternatives unless you mentioned we can do it via REST API...

If possible, can you please share more details on what APIs in particular exists for the same purpose. I can do my research on this but if it comes from you, then I don;t have to verify and validate the same.

Appreciate your answer. Thanks!

Lucas Modzelewski _Lumo_ · Answer

In Jira, modifying the database directly is generally not recommended unless it's an absolute last resort. This is because Jira's database structure is complex, and manually modifying records can result in missing or corrupt metadata, as you're experiencing with the "unknown" tag in the transition history.

* Instead of directly modifying the database, consider using Jira's REST API to make these changes programmatically. The API ensures that all necessary entries in related tables are updated properly, thus maintaining consistency.
* Alternatively, use third-party apps like ScriptRunner to modify transitions. ScriptRunner provides a way to create scripts to update issues, which can be safer since they use Jira’s internal APIs.