History searches with & without JQL [10 examples]

[#1]

Jira isn't a time machine, but some functionality can turn you back to the past. You can use JQL queries to get a list of issues based on the value of those fields at a specific date in the past rather than the current value. It will be handy if you need to track what happened some time ago.

For example, issues updated last month/year or issues edited by a specific user for some past dates.

As not all searches are possible with JQL, you will also find a bonus solution to search history.

Search history with Jira Query Language (JQL)

There are several options you can use to search history with JQL.

Searching with WAS or CHANGED operators

Advanced JQL allows getting changes only for some fields, which includes:

• Assignee
• Fix Version
• Priority
• Reporter
• Resolution
• Status

Example 1. Get the list of issues whose status was Done on a particular day for the DEV project.

Project = Development AND Status was Done ON "2022-04-22" 

Example 2. Get the list of issues where status was Done for some assignee during last year.

status WAS Done and assignee WAS Jack DURING ("2020/01/01","2021/01/01")

Example 3. Get the list of issues where status changed from In Progress to Done before some date.

status CHANGED FROM "In Progress" TO "Done" AFTER  "2022-01-01"

Searching with updatedBy() function

If you need to find the issues updated by a particular user, try updatedBy() function. Updates will include any issue field’s changes, creating an issue, creating/editing/deleting a comment.

Example 4. Get the list of issues updated by some user during the past two weeks.

issuekey IN updatedBy("Jack", "-2w")) 

Searching by created/updated/resolved fields

If you’re looking for issues or tickets that were created/updated/resolved within some time, follow the next cases.

Example 5. Get the list of issues created on 25th April 2022 before 2:00 pm for Development and Marketing projects.

Project in (Development, Marketing) and created > "2022/04/25" and created < "2022/04/25 14:00" 

Example 6. Get the list of issues resolved on 25th April 2022.

resolved > "2022/04/25" and resolved < "2022/04/25"

History searches without JQL

What if you need to search for other past changes that JQL doesn’t support? It can be sprints, issue types, descriptions, comments, due dates, or other updates. Issue History for Jira can help here. The plugin is developed as a history journal for all past activities on the issue level.

To get an easier representation of what was changed there are strikethrough text and green and red highlights for additions and modifications. The report is easily filtered by assignee, project, sprint, label, date ranges, etc.

Example 7. Get the list of issues for the specific assignee with due date changes for the current week.

1. Filter by assignee and select the required person from the list.
2. Set the date range (given or custom) — for example, this week.
3. Add the due date field to the columns of the grid.

Example 8. Find out if there were any comments added to tickets for a support project within the last two days.

1. Filter by project and choose the one you need.
2. Choose two days as the date range.
3. Add the comment field to the columns of the grid.

Example 9. What sprints were the issues taken through?

1. Filter by project or other option you need (assignee, reporter, etc.)
2. Choose the date range if needed.
3. Add the sprint field to the columns of the grid.

Example 10. Get the report with issue type changes.

1. Filter by project or other option you need (assignee, reporter, etc.)
2. Choose the date range if needed.
3. Add the issue type field to the columns of the grid.

Also, there is an additional option to search with the JQL with the Issue History.

Takeaway

Hopefully, the use cases above will help you get the data you need. You can try to search history with two options:

• Advanced issue search (JQL)
• Issue History for Jira

You are welcome to share the problem you’re trying to solve and ask for Community help in the comments below.