Can JIRA be set up to automatically send and receive comments from a different Defect Mgmt System?

[Alexandra Guerra]

We currently have 2 separate systems running to manage defects/CRs between our organisation and our vendor. We use JIRA and our vendor uses Gemini (defect mgmt system).

Most Gemini records have a corresponding JIRA record. Each JIRA record may have a corresponding Gemini ID in the External Reference field.

The Program manager woudl like to know if JIRA can be set up to automatically send and receive comments from Gemini assuming Gemini has the JIRA number and vice versa.

Note that this means EVERY comment entered into EITHER system will appear in the “other” system and thus be read by people in the other organisation…

The logic to extract comments would look like “for any (JIRA with a Gemini number) AND (a Comment TODAY)

extract: Gemini # + Comment”

The import logic would be: “for each record in file

Add comment to JIRA # specified in record”

Any ideas if this is possible?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist- · Accepted solution]

There's a couple of options available (you've said OnDemand, which cuts the list down a bit)

First, Jira can send and receive email. I don't know Gemini, so I don't know if this can help, but you can configure Jira such that

• It can send email to an address for Gemini to pick up and process on all your comments
• It can scan an email inbox for incoming mail (from Gemini) and import what it finds as comments on existing issues (the rule is "if Jira issue ID is in the subject, it goes in as a comment")

Your second option is a bit less dynamic and will need some coding, but a lot more flexible. You can use Jira's REST interface to pull data from it into Gemini (including full issue data) quite easily. You can also use REST to post changes back into Jira - not only comments, but field updates and even pushing through workflows.

[Thomas Schlegel]

But be careful to not produce infinite loops:

Jira writes to Gemini, Gemini picks up a new Comment, write it back to Jira, Jira picks this up and writes again and again and again ;-)

[Alexandra Guerra]

I am the system owner/admin but not a developer. Can you advise what is REST? As Gemini is our vendors system, we don't have access to writing code for it - will this hinder the second option you mentioned?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

@Thomas-S has a good point, you do need to be careful with email if data is going both ways.

REST is a standard way to expose functions that systems can perform to other computer systems. Rather than waffle at random, or generalise, have a look at how it works within Jira - this doc is focussed on Jira, of course, but still gives you a good idea - https://developer.atlassian.com/display/JIRADEV/JIRA+REST+APIs

If you can't develop in Jira (because you're using OnDemand) and you can't write in Gemini, then you'll need an independent service to bridge the gap. In some ways, that's actually preferable, because it means each side is independent of the other and you can do what you want in the bridge, unconstrained by the requirements of each system.

[Alexandra Guerra]

Ok - so we are on On Demand - I assume by your comments that this means we cannot use REST APIs then? If not, then i will advise the mgmt team that we'll have to build an independant service. Thanks for your help.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Sorry, I was not clear.

With OnDemand, you CAN use the REST services.

What you can not do is write your own plugins or scripts for automation and so-on and install them - that's why I only mentioned email and REST as possible options - other stuff is ruled out by OnDemand, but you can help yourself to the REST stuff!

[Alexandra Guerra]

Thanks Nic and Thomas!