Need to restore the jira xml backup without deleting/clearing the old entries in JIRA

[Adnan]

When an XML backup of JIRA is taken, it has two files; Active objects and Entities. Now, whenever a backup is restored, all the tables, entities, and datasets are first removed and then all the new entities are imported from the xml backup being restored.
My questions are following: -
Where is this information/code written in XML backup that initiates removal of all the objects and data tables?
Can we do such settings, that the XML backup only restores and brings in the new data that is present in the backup?
For e.g. Before backup is initiated, there are 3 issues in JIRA. The backup contains those 3 issues and 2 new issues (Making a total of 5).
 According to my understanding, whenever a backup is initiated, these 3 issues would be removed and then all the 5 issues from backup would be restored. This seems redundant to me. Why do we have to remove and restore the previous 3 issues that are already present before the backup? Can’t we just restore the backup on the 2 newly created issues? 
Thus, my final question is how we can backup only for the newly created entities/objects?

Thanks

Adnan Haider 

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

The xml backup is designed as a backup, capable of restoring a whole system, not bits of one.  There's nothing in the backup file to say "remove everything", that's the code in the importer which is written to recreate a whole system from it.

So, in short, you can't.  The xml backup is not for doing that, so it doesn't do it.

You can import projects from a full xml backup instead of everything, but that relies on the target having mostly the same configuration as the source, as it is only project issue data.

[Adnan]

Thanks for your prompt reply. so guide us how we can transfer all the issues and projects from JIRA-1 server to JIRA-2 server without deleting/erasing the existing data in JIRA-2 server. Specially we don't bear to erase the JIRA-2 user directories and groups by restoring the xml backups of JIRA-1 server.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Have a read of the "merge" part of https://confluence.atlassian.com/enterprise/federating-jira-managing-multiple-instances-461504624.html#FederatingJIRA-ManagingMultipleInstances-Migrate

There are some options.  If you're happy with a cut down data set, you can use CSV, but if you want to get everything then you need to build the config for each project in the target JIRA and then use "project import".  There are a number of add-ons which can help you copy over the config if you don't want to do it manually (I'd recommend this, it's ok for a single simple project, but if you've got lots to do or they're complex, get one of the add-ons)

[Adnan]

Hello Nic Brough,

A good day to you, we have a numbers of projects more then 200+. we only want to import all the projects and their issues. how we can achieve this. if we import these 200 projects into another JIRA server and who also have 10 projects in it, after importing the 200 projects it should be 210 project. but when we are going to import the 200 projects. it clean/erase all the existing data including 10 projects and import only 200 projects in new JIRA system. we need it shouldn't clean the existing data just import the new issues and projects. 

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Please have a look at the link I gave in the previous comment.

[Adnan]

i have visit and look into it.For this we need to sure that the both instances run the same versions of the JIRA  and any plugins.Also ensure that the custom fields, user groups, entities like priorities and statuses as well as schemes related to the projects in the source system exist in the target system with the same nomenclature. 

it will take a very much time to do it manually to make a Target system which copy of the source system if any thing else remain left it didn't import the issues. it should be the complete copy of source system.

But we need to perform it automatically or rapid basis by a little bit changes in xml file. we need to import the datat and users directories with deleting/cleaning the old database. 

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Yes, that's what the document says.

[Adnan]

Right. there is another Question here that  is it possible? we can only migrate the USERS LDAP Directories into another JIRA system without deleting the existing JIRA System Directories?. Here we are not concerning about JIRA projects , issues and others JIRA configurations. 

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Yes, JIRA lets you add multiple directories, so you can just add a new one.

If you want a full "migration" where you copy/move users from one directory to another, have a look through https://confluence.atlassian.com/adminjiraserver071/migrating-users-between-user-directories-802592357.html