Is there a way to bulk edit/update Capabilities/Epics in Jira Align?

[sachin gangam]

Hello, Is there a way to bulk edit/update Capabilities/Epics in Jira Align?

[Sam Tsubota · Accepted solution]

Jira Align work items can be updated through the Import functionality accessed through the grid views. Here are steps to edit or update work items:

1. Navigate to the Epic or Capability grid view
2. Filter the grid view to display the epics/capabilities that you want to update
3. Click on More Actions and select Export Epics (or Capabilities)
4. In the pop up window, click on Export which will download the export file to your computer. Open the export file in Excel. You will use the export file a little later.
5. On the grid view, click on More Actions and select Import Epics (or Capabilities)
6. Click on the Download Template button in the upper right. Open the import template (ImportObjectsTemplate.xml) file in Excel and make sure you Enable Marcos.
7. Go back to the export file and click on the Epics (or Capabilities) tab, copy the values in the Id column. Then go back to the import file and click on the Epics (or Capabilities) tab. Past the ID values in the Id (R/O) column. Jira Align references the Id's to update the work item data.
8. Copy and paste the values from the export file to import file for any columns with an (*) as these are required fields in Jira Align and are the minimum requirements to import/update a work item. You can edit/update the values of the required columns. For fields that are selection fields in Jira Align, you need to make sure that the values match what are in the UI or follow the instruction above the column title.
9. If you want to edit/update a field other than a required field, you can add the value to the column. 
10. Save the file. Do not change the file format to .xls and make sure you keep the format as .xml
11. Go back to the grid view and click on More Actions -> Import Epics (or Capabilities)
12. Select a Program
13. Click on the Browse button and select your import file. Jira Align will run a validation check of the data to make sure the values in the file are valid in Jira Align. Click on the view link to make sure that you don't see and values flagged in red. If any of the values are in red, fix the values in the import file and then re-upload the file.
14. Click on Import Data

If you are wondering why you need to copy the data in the export file to the import file, that is because they files are different formats (export is a .xls and import is .xml) and also the columns in the files are not exactly the same.

[sachin gangam]

Thank you @Sam Tsubota  , this was helpful. However, this process is bit time consuming for someone like a RTE, Portfolio Manager or an Epic owner. Do Atlassian have any plan of developing a move functionality for bulk updates or edits?

[Sam Tsubota]

@sachin gangam If you want to bulk update the PI for Epics and Capabilities, you could use the Mass Move functionality. You do have to be careful with this as Epics and Capabilities can be assigned to more than one Program which can be in different PIs and a Mass Move can overwrite that. As for developing more bulk update functionality, I don't have visibility into that. You can submit it as a product enhancement idea on the Jira Align ideation portal. Here is an Atlassian Community article about the ideation process. Your Jira Align Solution Architect or Technical Account Manager can help you with getting access to the ideation portal.

[sachin gangam]

hello @Sam Tsubota we were trying to update additional programs on Epics using the import functionality but we were not successful. Is there anything that we are missing? It is only importing one additional program while we have 2-3 additional programs. We also noticed that the Future State & Desired Outcome, Current Situation, Recommendation & Desired Solution and Notes field values are lost with import. 

[sachin gangam]

I think I found the issue here. We can update the additional programs only when the additional programs field is empty. For example, let's say epic1 has a primary program and 2 additional programs, I cannot update the additional programs field. I have to clear the additional programs field first and then update the additional programs. 

[Gonzalo Martinez]

Well it is a pain doing this. It is working for me as well, but due to some migration we need to move 8000 work items... how to clean the additional program and do that. We need a fix for this.