How To Sync Epics Between Two Jira Instances

#integration #jira #atlassian #synchronization

Companies looking to sync Jira Epics internally or externally must use native or third-party applications.

One third-party option is Exalate, a bidirectional integration solution that syncs data between two Jira instances using simple scripts and custom triggers. It also works with Zendesk, Azure DevOps, ServiceNow, Salesforce, GitHub, etc.

In this article, you’ll learn how to sync Epics between two Jira instances using Exalate.

Use Cases For Two-way Jira Epic Sync

Some scenarios for syncing Jira Epics include:

Internal teams looking to consolidate data between their Jira sites,
Companies collaborating with MSPs, suppliers, vendors, or other companies,
Organizations going through a merger and acquisition,
Solopreneur connecting with an outsourcing partner.

Potential challenges

Unprecedented network timeouts
Poor data transformation
Retries after failure
Badly configured triggers
Scripting errors
Debugging

How Can Exalate Solve This Problem?

Exalate is the perfect solution for connecting two Jira Epics for the following reasons:

It allows you to sync Jira epics and issues in a few clicks.
Exalate’s Groovy scripting engine allows you to write custom rules for advanced use cases.
Exalate protects your data when sharing sensitive information.

Primary Requirements

When a user creates an Epic on one Jira Cloud instance, it should appear on the other instance without having to copy it manually. The changes should go both ways.

To get this working, the system admin needs to write sync rules to control the outgoing and incoming data. Next, Jira Query Language (JQL) triggers will be set up to automate the sync.

How to Sync Jira Epics With Exalate

Step 1: Establish a Connection

Click “Add Connection”, then click “Create new connection” to start.

Enter the name and description of the connection. Click “Next” to process. Go through the authentication process and verify the connection details.

Step 2: Edit the Connection

Go to the “Outgoing sync” text field. Add the function Epic.send() to the console. This line of code sends out your Jira Epic and its contents to the other side.

Click “Publish” to save and implement the changes.

Repeat the same procedure by opening the “Incoming sync” text field and entering the function Epic.receive().

The .receive() method tells the console to allow the remote instance to receive data from the sending instance. Click “Publish” to save the changes.

Once the connection is ready, head back to your Jira dashboard to create a new Epic — add a name and description.

Step 3: Create Triggers to Automate the Sync

If you don’t want to manually Exalate the issue, add triggers to sync the issue automatically. So, anytime you create an epic on one side, it instantly replicates itself on the other side.

To create a trigger, click “Add Trigger” to start configuring your issue or sprint.