How to integrate Jira using Alteryx

Integrate Alteryx and Jira
Integrate Alteryx and Jira

Learn how to quickly and efficiently connect Jira with Alteryx for smooth data access.

Read and write Jira data effortlessly. Track, manage, and automate issues, projects, worklogs, and comments — almost no coding required. You can do it all using the high-performance Jira ODBC Driver for Alteryx (often referred to as the Jira Connector). We'll walk you through the entire setup.

Ready to dive in? Download the product to jump right in, or follow the step-by-step guide below to see how it works.

Create data source using Jira ODBC Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from Jira using Alteryx, we first need to create an ODBC data source. We will later read this data in Alteryx. Perform these steps:

  1. Download and install ODBC PowerPack (if you haven't already).

  2. Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):

    Open ODBC Data Source

  3. Create a User data source (User DSN) based on the ZappySys API Driver driver:

    ZappySys API Driver
    Create new User DSN for ZappySys API Driver
    • Create and use a User DSN if the client application runs under a User Account. This is the ideal option at design time (e.g., when developing in Visual Studio). Use it for both types of applications (64-bit and 32-bit).
    • Create and use a System DSN if the client application runs under a System Account (e.g., as a Windows Service). This is usually the required option in a production environment. If your Windows Service is a 32-bit application, you must use the 32-bit ODBC Data Source Administrator to configure this

  4. When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "Jira" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "Jira" is not present in the list, then click "Search Online" and download it. Then set the path to the location where you downloaded it. Finally, click Continue >> to proceed with configuring the DSN:

    JiraDSN
    Jira
    ODBC DSN Template Selection

  5. Now it's time to configure the Connection Manager. Select Authentication Type, e.g. Token Authentication. Then select API Base URL (in most cases, the default one is the right one). More info is available in the Authentication section.

    API Key based Authentication

    Jira authentication
    Firstly, login into your Atlassian account and then go to your Jira profile:

    1. Go to Profile > Security.
    2. Click Create and manage API tokens.
    3. Then click Create API token button and give your token a label.
    4. When window appears with new API token, copy and use it in this connection manager.
    5. That's it!
    API Connection Manager configuration

    Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

    1. Set Authentication Type to API Key based Authentication [Http]
    2. Optional step. Modify API Base URL if needed (in most cases default will work).
    3. Fill in all the required parameters and set optional parameters if needed.
    4. Finally, hit OK button:
    JiraDSN
    Jira
    API Key based Authentication [Http]
    https://[$Subdomain$].atlassian.net/rest/api/3
    Required Parameters
    Subdomain Fill-in the parameter...
    Atlassian User Name (email) Fill-in the parameter...
    API Key Fill-in the parameter...
    Optional Parameters
    CustomColumnsRegex
    RetryMode RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
    RetryStatusCodeList 429
    RetryCountMax 5
    RetryMultiplyWaitTime True
    ODBC DSN HTTP Connection Configuration

    Personal Access Token (PAT) Authentication

    Jira authentication
    Follow official Atlassian instructions on how to create a PAT (Personal Access Token) for JIRA
    API Connection Manager configuration

    Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

    1. Set Authentication Type to Personal Access Token (PAT) Authentication [Http]
    2. Optional step. Modify API Base URL if needed (in most cases default will work).
    3. Fill in all the required parameters and set optional parameters if needed.
    4. Finally, hit OK button:
    JiraDSN
    Jira
    Personal Access Token (PAT) Authentication [Http]
    https://[$Subdomain$].atlassian.net/rest/api/3
    Required Parameters
    Subdomain Fill-in the parameter...
    Token (PAT Bearer Token) Fill-in the parameter...
    Optional Parameters
    CustomColumnsRegex
    RetryMode RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
    RetryStatusCodeList 429
    RetryCountMax 5
    RetryMultiplyWaitTime True
    ODBC DSN HTTP Connection Configuration

    OAuth (**Must change API Base URL to V3 OAuth**)

    Jira authentication

    OAuth App must be created in Atlassian Developer Console. It is found at https://developer.atlassian.com/console/myapps/ [API reference]

    Firstly, login into your Atlassian account and then create Jira application:

    1. Go to Atlassian Developer area.

    2. Click Create and select OAuth 2.0 integration item to create an OAuth app:

      Create OAuth integration app in Atlassian

    3. Give your app a name, accept the terms and hit Create:

      Name OAuth app in Atlassian

    4. To enable permissions/scopes for your application, click Permissions tab, then hit Add button, and click Configure button, once it appears:

      Enable scopes in OAuth app in Atlassian

    5. Continue by hitting Edit Scopes button to assign scopes for the application:

      Edit scopes in OAuth app in Atlassian

    6. Select these scopes or all of them:

      Add Jira scopes in OAuth app in Atlassian

    7. Then click Authorization option on the left and click Add button:

      Add authorization in OAuth app in Atlassian

    8. Enter your own Callback URL (Redirect URL) or simply enter https://zappysys.com/oauth, if you don't have one:

      Set callback URL for OAuth app in Atlassian

    9. Then hit Settings option and copy Client ID and Secret into your favorite text editor (we will need them in the next step):

      Get Jira data via REST API and OAuth

    10. Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and in OAuth authentication set these parameters:

      • For ClientId parameter use Client ID value from the previous steps.
      • For ClientSecret parameter use Secret value from the previous steps.
      • For Scope parameter use the Scopes you set previously (specify them all here):
        • offline_access (a must)
        • read:jira-user
        • read:jira-work
        • write:jira-work
        • manage:jira-project
        • manage:jira-configuration
        NOTE: A full list of available scopes is available in Atlassian documentation.
      • For Subdomain parameter use your Atlassian subdomain value (e.g. mycompany, if full host name is mycompany.atlassian.net).
    11. Click Generate Token to generate tokens.
    12. Finally, select Organization Id from the drop down.
    13. That's it! You can now use Jira Connector!
    API Connection Manager configuration

    Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

    1. Set Authentication Type to OAuth (**Must change API Base URL to V3 OAuth**) [OAuth]
    2. Optional step. Modify API Base URL if needed (in most cases default will work).
    3. Fill in all the required parameters and set optional parameters if needed.
    4. Press Generate Token button to generate the tokens.
    5. Finally, hit OK button:
    JiraDSN
    Jira
    OAuth (**Must change API Base URL to V3 OAuth**) [OAuth]
    https://[$Subdomain$].atlassian.net/rest/api/3
    Required Parameters
    ClientId Fill-in the parameter...
    ClientSecret Fill-in the parameter...
    Scope Fill-in the parameter...
    ReturnUrl Fill-in the parameter...
    Organization Id (Select after clicking [Generate Token]) Fill-in the parameter...
    Optional Parameters
    Custom Columns for output (Select after clicking [Generate Token])
    RetryMode RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
    RetryStatusCodeList 429
    RetryCountMax 5
    RetryMultiplyWaitTime True
    ODBC DSN OAuth Connection Configuration

  6. Once the data source connection has been configured, it's time to configure the SQL query. Select the Preview tab and then click Query Builder button to configure the SQL query:

    ZappySys API Driver - Jira
    Read and write Jira data effortlessly. Track, manage, and automate issues, projects, worklogs, and comments — almost no coding required.
    JiraDSN
    Open Query Builder in API ODBC Driver to read and write data to REST API

  7. Start by selecting the Table or Endpoint you are interested in and then configure the parameters. This will generate a query that we will use in Alteryx to retrieve data from Jira. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step. 

    SELECT * FROM Issues

--//Query single issue by numeric Issue Id
--SELECT * FROM Issues Where Id=101234

--//Query issue by numeric Issue Ids (multiple)
--SELECT * FROM Issues WITH(SearchBy='Key', Key='101234,101235,101236')

--//Query issue by Issue Key(s) (alpha-numeric)
--SELECT * FROM Issues WITH(SearchBy='Key', Key='PROJ-11')
--SELECT * FROM Issues WITH(SearchBy='Key', Key='PROJ-11,PROJ-12,PROJ-13')

--//Query issue by project(s)
--SELECT * FROM Issues WITH(SearchBy='Project', Project='PROJ')
--SELECT * FROM Issues WITH(SearchBy='Project', Project='PROJ,KAN,CS')

--//Query issue by JQL expression
--SELECT * FROM Issues WITH(SearchBy='Jql', Jql='status IN (Done, Closed) AND created > -5d' )
    Configure table/endpoint parameters in ODBC data source based on API Driver
    Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the Jira API, e.g. filtering parameters. It means that filtering will be done on the server side (instead of the client side), enabling you to get only the meaningful data much faster.

  8. Now hit Preview Data button to preview the data using the generated SQL query. If you are satisfied with the result, use this query in Alteryx:

    ZappySys API Driver - Jira
    Read and write Jira data effortlessly. Track, manage, and automate issues, projects, worklogs, and comments — almost no coding required.
    JiraDSN
    SELECT * FROM Issues

--//Query single issue by numeric Issue Id
--SELECT * FROM Issues Where Id=101234

--//Query issue by numeric Issue Ids (multiple)
--SELECT * FROM Issues WITH(SearchBy='Key', Key='101234,101235,101236')

--//Query issue by Issue Key(s) (alpha-numeric)
--SELECT * FROM Issues WITH(SearchBy='Key', Key='PROJ-11')
--SELECT * FROM Issues WITH(SearchBy='Key', Key='PROJ-11,PROJ-12,PROJ-13')

--//Query issue by project(s)
--SELECT * FROM Issues WITH(SearchBy='Project', Project='PROJ')
--SELECT * FROM Issues WITH(SearchBy='Project', Project='PROJ,KAN,CS')

--//Query issue by JQL expression
--SELECT * FROM Issues WITH(SearchBy='Jql', Jql='status IN (Done, Closed) AND created > -5d' )
    API ODBC Driver-based data source data preview
    You can also access data quickly from the tables dropdown by selecting <Select table>.
    A WHERE clause, LIMIT keyword will be performed on the client side, meaning that the whole result set will be retrieved from the Jira API first, and only then the filtering will be applied to the data. If possible, it is recommended to use parameters in Query Builder to filter the data on the server side (in Jira servers).

  9. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Read Jira data in Alteryx Designer (workstation)

Here we will be reading Jira data on your workstation using Alteryx Designer. Follow the steps below to connect via ODBC and run your workflow locally.

Version requirement: Alteryx support was added in ODBC PowerPack v2.2.1. You must have ODBC PowerPack v2.2.1 or higher installed. How to check version of my ODBC PowerPack.

  1. Open Alteryx Designer.

  2. First, verify your DCM Settings to ensure you can access ODBC drivers. Go to Options > User Settings > Edit User Settings.

    If DCM Mode is set to DCM Only, change it to DCM Optional if you would like to access the legacy Generic ODBC Connection.

    Alteryx DCM User Settings for ODBC access
    After changing this setting, you may need to click Save and restart the connection window for the "Generic ODBC" icon to appear.

  3. Drag an Input Data tool onto your Alteryx canvas.

    Drag Input Data tool onto Alteryx canvas

  4. In the Configuration pane, click Set Up a Connection.

    Set Up a Connection in Alteryx Input Data configuration

  5. Note for DCM Users: If your environment has DCM (Data Connection Manager) enabled, the classic "Generic ODBC" icon may be hidden. To find it, select Data sources on the left and type "ODBC" in the search bar.

  6. Once the ODBC window opens, click Connect Asset and select your JiraDSN DSN from the list.

    Connect Asset and select ODBC DSN in Alteryx
    Ensure you have configured a 64-bit System DSN in the Windows ODBC Data Source Administrator before this step.

  7. After selecting your DSN, configure your SQL Query in the Input Data tool configuration:

    Configure SQL Query in Alteryx Input Data tool

  8. To save your data, drag an Output Data tool and connect it to the Input Data tool.

  9. Configure the Output Data tool to write to a CSV file:

    Configure Output Data to CSV in Alteryx

  10. Press Run (Ctrl+R) to execute the workflow. Verify the results in the Results Window at the bottom.

    Run Alteryx workflow and view results

Using DSN-less Connection String

If you prefer to use a DSN-less connection string instead of creating an ODBC data source in Alteryx, you can enter the connection string directly in the Input Data tool's connection setup:

Alteryx DSN-less connection string setup

Deploy workflow and run on server (e.g. Alteryx Server)

To run your Alteryx workflow on a server (e.g. Alteryx Server or a machine used for scheduled runs), install ZappySys ODBC PowerPack and configure the same DSN on that server so the workflow can connect to Jira data.

  1. On the server where the workflow will run, download and install ODBC PowerPack (v2.2.1 or higher for Alteryx support).
  2. Open ODBC Data Sources (64-bit) on the server and create a System DSN with the same name and settings as on your workstation (use the same driver and connection configuration). An easy way to copy your workstation DSN settings to the server is described in How to copy ODBC DSN or Data Gateway settings to another server (use Copy Settings on the workstation, then Load settings on the server).
  3. Deploy or publish your workflow to the server (e.g. upload to Alteryx Server or copy the workflow to the server).
  4. Run the workflow on the server; it will use the DSN you created in step 2 to connect to Jira.

Optional: Centralized data access via ZappySys Data Gateway

In some situations, you may need to provide Jira data access to multiple users or services. Configuring the data source on a Data Gateway creates a single, centralized connection point for this purpose.

This configuration provides two primary advantages:

  • Centralized data access
    The data source is configured once on the gateway, eliminating the need to set it up individually on each user's machine or application. This significantly simplifies the management process.
  • Centralized access control
    Since all connections route through the gateway, access can be governed or revoked from a single location for all users.
Data Gateway
Local ODBC
data source
Simple configuration
Installation Single machine Per machine
Connectivity Local and remote Local only
Connections limit Limited by License Unlimited
Central data access
Central access control
More flexible cost

To achieve this, you must first create a data source in the Data Gateway (server-side) and then create an ODBC data source in Alteryx (client-side) to connect to it.

Let's not wait and get going!

Create Jira data source in the gateway

In this section we will create a data source for Jira in the Data Gateway. Let's follow these steps to accomplish that:

  1. Search for gateway in the Windows Start Menu and open ZappySys Data Gateway Configuration:

    Open ZappySys Data Gateway Service Manager

  2. Go to the Users tab and follow these steps to add a Data Gateway user:

    • Click the Add button
    • In the Login field enter a username, e.g., john
    • Then enter a Password
    • Check the Is Administrator checkbox
    • Click OK to save
    Data Gateway - Add User

  3. Now we are ready to add a data source:

    • Click the Add button
    • Give the Data source a name (have it handy for later)
    • Then select Native - ZappySys API Driver
    • Finally, click OK
    JiraDSN
    ZappySys API Driver
    Data Gateway - Add data source

  4. When the ZappySys API Driver configuration window opens, go back to ODBC Data Source Administrator where you already have the Jira ODBC data source created and configured, and follow these steps on how to Import data source configuration into the Gateway:

    • Open ODBC data source configuration and click Copy settings:
      ZappySys API Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
      ZappySys API Driver - Jira
      Read and write Jira data effortlessly. Track, manage, and automate issues, projects, worklogs, and comments — almost no coding required.
      JiraDSN
      Copy connection string for ODBC application
    • The window opens, telling us the connection string was successfully copied to the clipboard: Successful connection string copying for ODBC application

    • Then go to Data Gateway configuration and in data source configuration window click Load settings:

      JiraDSN
      ZappySys API Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
      ZappySys API Driver - Jira
      Read and write Jira data effortlessly. Track, manage, and automate issues, projects, worklogs, and comments — almost no coding required.
      JiraDSN
      Load configuration in ZappySys Data Gateway data source
    • Once a window opens, just paste the settings by pressing CTRL+V or by clicking right mouse button and then Paste option.

  5. Once done, go to the Network Settings tab and Add a firewall rule for inbound traffic:

    Data Gateway - Add firewall rule for inbound connections
    • This will initially allow all inbound traffic.
    • Click Edit IP filters to restrict access to specific IP addresses or ranges.

  6. Crucial Step: After creating or modifying the data source, you must:

    • Click the Save button to persist your changes.
    • Hit Yes when prompted to restart the Data Gateway service.

    This ensures all changes are properly applied:

    ZappySys Data Gateway - Save Changes
    Skipping this step may cause the new settings to fail, preventing you from connecting to the data source.

Create ODBC data source to connect to the gateway

In this part we will create an ODBC data source to connect to the ZappySys Data Gateway from Alteryx. To achieve that, let's perform these steps:

  1. Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):

    Open ODBC Data Source

  2. Create a User data source (User DSN) based on the ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server driver:

    ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server
    Create new User DSN for ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server
    If you don't see the ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server driver in the list, choose a similar version.

  3. Then set a Name for the data source (e.g. Gateway) and the address of the Data Gateway:

    ZappySysGatewayDSN
    localhost,5000
    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Setting hostname and port
    Make sure you separate the hostname and port with a comma, e.g. localhost,5000.

  4. Proceed with the authentication part:

    • Select SQL Server authentication
    • In the Login ID field enter the user name you created in the Data Gateway, e.g., john
    • Set Password to the one you configured in the Data Gateway
    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Selecting SQL Authentication

  5. Then set the default database property to JiraDSN (the one we used in the Data Gateway):

    JiraDSN
    JiraDSN
    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Selecting database
    Make sure to type the data source name manually or copy/paste it directly into the field. Using the dropdown might fail because the Trust server certificate option is not enabled yet (next step).

  6. Continue by checking the Trust server certificate option:

    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Trusting certificate

  7. Once you do that, test the connection:

    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Testing connection

  8. If the connection is successful, everything is good:

    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Testing connection succeeded

  9. Done!

We are ready to move to the final step. Let's do it!

Access data in Alteryx via the gateway

Finally, we are ready to read data from Jira in Alteryx via the Data Gateway. Follow these final steps:

  1. Go back to Alteryx.

  2. Drag an Input Data tool onto your Alteryx canvas.

    Drag Input Data tool onto Alteryx canvas

  3. In the Configuration pane, click Set Up a Connection.

    Set Up a Connection in Alteryx Input Data configuration

  4. Note for DCM Users: If your environment has DCM (Data Connection Manager) enabled, the classic "Generic ODBC" icon may be hidden. To find it, select Data sources on the left and type "ODBC" in the search bar.

  5. Once the ODBC window opens, click Connect Asset and select your ZappySysGatewayDSN DSN from the list.

    Connect Asset and select ODBC DSN in Alteryx
    Ensure you have configured a 64-bit System DSN in the Windows ODBC Data Source Administrator before this step.

  6. Read the data the same way we discussed at the beginning of this article.

  7. That's it!

Now you can connect to Jira data in Alteryx via the Data Gateway.

If you are asked for authentication details, use Database authentication, SQL authentication or Basic authentication option and enter the credentials you used when configuring the Data Gateway, e.g. john and your password.

Supported Jira Connector actions

Got a specific use case in mind? We've mapped out exactly how to perform a variety of essential Jira operations directly in Alteryx, so you don't have to figure out the setup from scratch. Check out the step-by-step guides below:

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to Jira in Alteryx and integrate data without writing complex code — all of this was powered by Jira ODBC Driver.

Download ODBC PowerPack now or ping us via chat if you have any questions or are looking for a specific feature (you can also reach out to us by submitting a ticket):

Download Chat

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