Jira Connector for Alteryx : Update issue via SQL

Integrate Alteryx and Jira
Integrate Alteryx and Jira

Learn how to update issue using the Jira Connector for Alteryx. This connector enables you to read and write Jira data effortlessly. Track, manage, and automate issues, projects, worklogs, and comments — almost no coding required. We'll walk you through the exact setup.

Let's dive in!

Create data source using Jira ODBC Driver

  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.

    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
    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
    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. Then go to Preview tab to start building a SQL query.

  7. Once you do that, proceed by opening Query Builder:

    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
  8. Then simply select the Issues table and Update operation.

  9. Continue by configuring the Required parameters. You can also set optional parameters too.

  10. Move on by hitting Preview Data button to preview the results.

  11. If you see the results you need, simply copy the generated query:

    Issues
    Update
    Optional Parameters
    IssueIdOrKey
    NotifyUsers false
    OverrideScreenSecurity false
    OverrideEditableFlag false
    Advanced Properties
    Continue On 404 Error (When record not found) False
    UPDATE Issues
    SET Summary = 'This is my summary'
       ,Description = 'Lot''s of stuff to describe'
       ,Labels = '[ "bugfix" ]'
       ,DueDate = '2029-10-10'
    --WHERE Id=1234   
    --WHERE Id='ISSKEY'   
    WITH (
    	IssueIdOrKey='ISSKEY', --or use Id in where clause 
    	Output=1,
    	NotifyUsers=0,
    	OverrideScreenSecurity=0,
    	OverrideEditableFlag=0,
    	ContinueOn404Error=0
    )'
    Query Builder
  12. Click OK to use built SQL query and close the Query Builder.

  13. 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
    UPDATE Issues
    SET Summary = 'This is my summary'
       ,Description = 'Lot''s of stuff to describe'
       ,Labels = '[ "bugfix" ]'
       ,DueDate = '2029-10-10'
    --WHERE Id=1234   
    --WHERE Id='ISSKEY'   
    WITH (
    	IssueIdOrKey='ISSKEY', --or use Id in where clause 
    	Output=1,
    	NotifyUsers=0,
    	OverrideScreenSecurity=0,
    	OverrideEditableFlag=0,
    	ContinueOn404Error=0
    )'
    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).

Let's not stop here and explore SQL query examples, including how to use them in Stored Procedures and Views (virtual tables) in the next steps.

Jira SQL query examples

Use these SQL queries in your Alteryx data source:

Update an issue

Updates an existing issue. Set the columns you want to change (Summary, Description, Labels, DueDate, etc.) and identify the issue with IssueIdOrKey in WITH or in a WHERE clause. Optional WITH parameters control notifications and security overrides.

UPDATE Issues
SET Summary = 'This is my summary'
   ,Description = 'Lot''s of stuff to describe'
   ,Labels = '[ "bugfix" ]'
   ,DueDate = '2029-10-10'
--WHERE Id=1234   
--WHERE Id='ISSKEY'   
WITH (
	IssueIdOrKey='ISSKEY', --or use Id in where clause 
	Output=1,
	NotifyUsers=0,
	OverrideScreenSecurity=0,
	OverrideEditableFlag=0,
	ContinueOn404Error=0
)'

Update or create an issue with custom fields

Updates or creates an issue including custom fields of various types: dropdown, radio, checkboxes, date, labels, number, paragraph, URL, user, team, and single-line text. Use the custom field ID (e.g. customfield_10050) and the appropriate suffix or raw JSON format as shown in the example. For insert, use the same column list in INSERT INTO Issues(...).

UPDATE Issues
SET customfield_10050='[{"value":"AAA"},{"value":"BBB"}]'	--CUSTOM Checkboxes field update (Must use Raw JSON)
,customfield_10051='2020-12-31'	--CUSTOM Date field update
,customfield_10052='2020-12-31T23:59:59'	--CUSTOM DateTime field update

--Custom Dropdown / Radio fields
,customfield_10048_value='BBB'	--CUSTOM Dropdown field update (Using value - i.e. item label)
--OR--
--,customfield_10048_id='10022'	--CUSTOM Dropdown field update (Using id - i.e. item id)
--OR--
--,customfield_10048='{"value":"BBB"}'	--CUSTOM Dropdown (Using Raw value)

,customfield_10053='["bugfix","test"]'	--CUSTOM Labels field update (Must use Raw JSON)
,customfield_10057='[{"value":"AAA"},{"value":"BBB"}]'	--CUSTOM Listbox Multiselect field update (Must use Raw JSON)
,customfield_10049=123455555.123	--CUSTOM Number field update
,customfield_10054_text='Long string...line-1 
	Long string... line-2 
	Long string... line-3'	--CUSTOM Paragraph field update

,customfield_10055_value='BBB'	--CUSTOM Radio field update by value
--OR--
--,customfield_10055_id='10023'	--CUSTOM Radio field update

,customfield_10058='https://zappysys.com'	--CUSTOM Url field update
,customfield_10059_accountId="5dd64082af96bc0efbe55103" --CUSTOM User field update (update by accountId)
--OR--
--,customfield_10059='{"accountId":"5dd64082af96bc0efbe55103","displayName":"System"}'	--CUSTOM User field update --accountId=5dd64082af96bc0efbe55103
,customfield_10060='Custom text single line'	--CUSTOM text single line field 
,customfield_10001='577069e1-1bcd-4b1e-9070-0b2475830d1c'	--CUSTOM Team field update (update by Team Id)
--WHERE Id=10000
WITH (
	IssueIdOrKey='ISSKEY', --or use Id in where clause 
	Output=1,
	NotifyUsers=0,
	OverrideScreenSecurity=0,
	OverrideEditableFlag=0,
	ContinueOn404Error=0
)

--For INSERT use same values with same fields like below. For Insert you do not have to specify Id or Key
--INSERT INTO Issues(ProjectKey, IssueTypeName, Summary, Description, customfield_10050,....., customfield_10060) 
--VALUES ('SMP', 'Task', 'My ticket inserted through the API', 'A description about an issue', '[{"value":"AAA"},{"value":"BBB"}]' ,... 'Custom text single line')

'

Update multiple issues by JQL

Updates every issue that matches a JQL expression. Add a WHERE condition (e.g. Where 1=1) so the connector uses the lookup path, then supply the JQL in WITH (jql='...'). All matching issues receive the same column updates.

UPDATE Issues
SET Summary = 'This is done on <<fun_now>>'
Where 1=1
WITH (jql='status=done' , ContinueOn404Error=0)
--WITH (jql='key in(10001, 10002, 10003)' , ContinueOn404Error=0)
--WITH (jql='key in(CS-1, CS-2, CS-3)', ContinueOn404Error=0)

Update custom option field (dropdown or radio)

Shows how to update a custom field that uses a single option (dropdown or radio). You can set the value by option label (customfield_xxxx_value), by option ID (customfield_xxxx_id), or with raw JSON. To clear the field, set it to null. Replace the custom field ID with your own from Fields.

--(By value)        
UPDATE Issues 
SET customfield_10048_value ='BBB' --supply value (label) of dropdown/radio
WITH (IssueIdOrKey='10020')

--OR-- (By item ID)

UPDATE Issues 
SET customfield_10048_id =10023 --supply id of dropdown/radio item
WITH (IssueIdOrKey='10020')

--OR-- (Raw id)

UPDATE Issues 
SET customfield_10048='{"id":"10023"}' --supply raw json
WITH (IssueIdOrKey='10020')

--OR--  (Raw value)
UPDATE Issues 
SET customfield_10048='{"value":"BBB"}' --supply raw json
WITH (IssueIdOrKey='10020')

--OR--  (set null)

UPDATE Issues 
SET customfield_10048 =null 
WITH (IssueIdOrKey='10020')

Update custom multi-select, user, or team fields (raw JSON)

Shows how to update custom fields that hold multiple values or complex types (e.g. multi-select, user, team) using raw JSON. Supply a JSON array or object as required by the field type; to clear, set the column to null. Use SELECT * FROM Fields to find your custom field IDs.

UPDATE Issues 
SET customfield_10048='[{"value":"AAA"}, {"value":"CCC"}]' --supply raw json
WITH (IssueIdOrKey='10020')

--OR-- 

UPDATE Issues 
SET customfield_10048 =null --set to null
WITH (IssueIdOrKey='10020')

update_issue endpoint belongs to Issues table(s), and can therefore be used via those table(s).

Create SQL view in ODBC data source

ZappySys API Drivers support flexible Query language so you can override Default Properties you configured on Data Source such as URL, Body. This way you don't have to create multiple Data Sources if you like to read data from multiple EndPoints. However not every application support supplying custom SQL to driver so you can only select Table from list returned from driver.

If you're dealing with Microsoft Access and need to import data from an SQL query, it's important to note that Access doesn't allow direct import of SQL queries. Instead, you can create custom objects (Virtual Tables) to handle the import process.

Many applications like MS Access, Informatica Designer wont give you option to specify custom SQL when you import Objects. In such case Virtual Table is very useful. You can create many Virtual Tables on the same Data Source (e.g. If you have 50 URLs with slight variations you can create virtual tables with just URL as Parameter setting.

  1. Go to Custom Objects Tab and Click on Add button and Select Add Table:
    ZappySys Driver - Add Table

  2. Enter the desired Table name and click on OK:
    ZappySys Driver - Add Table Name

  3. And it will open the New Query Window Click on Cancel to close that window and go to Custom Objects Tab.

  4. Select the created table, Select Text Type AS SQL and write the your desired SQL Query and Save it and it will create the custom table in the ZappySys Driver:
    Here is an example SQL query for ZappySys Driver. You can insert Placeholders also. Read more about placeholders here

    SELECT
      "ShipCountry",
      "OrderID",
      "CustomerID",
      "EmployeeID",
      "OrderDate",
      "RequiredDate",
      "ShippedDate",
      "ShipVia",
      "Freight",
      "ShipName",
      "ShipAddress",
      "ShipCity",
      "ShipRegion",
      "ShipPostalCode"
    FROM "Orders"
    Where "ShipCountry"='USA'

    ZappySys Driver - Create Custom Table
  5. That's it now go to Preview Tab and Execute your custom virtual table query. In this example it will extract the orders for the USA Shipping Country only:

    SELECT * FROM "vt__usa_orders_only"
    ZappySys Driver - Execute Custom Virtual Table Query

Update issue in Alteryx via SQL view

  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

Advanced topics

Creating SQL stored procedures

You can create procedures to encapsulate custom logic and then only pass handful parameters rather than long SQL to execute your API call.

Steps to create Custom Stored Procedure in ZappySys Driver. You can insert Placeholders anywhere inside Procedure Body. Read more about placeholders here

  1. Go to Custom Objects Tab and Click on Add button and Select Add Procedure:
    ZappySys Driver - Add Stored Procedure

  2. Enter the desired Procedure name and click on OK:
    ZappySys Driver - Add Stored Procedure Name

  3. Select the created Stored Procedure and write the your desired stored procedure and Save it and it will create the custom stored procedure in the ZappySys Driver. Here is an example stored procedure for ZappySys Driver. You can insert Placeholders anywhere inside Procedure Body. Read more about placeholders here

    CREATE PROCEDURE [usp_get_orders]
        @fromdate = '<<yyyy-MM-dd,FUN_TODAY>>'
     AS
        SELECT * FROM Orders where OrderDate >= '<@fromdate>';
    
    ZappySys Driver - Create Custom Stored Procedure
  4. That's it now go to Preview Tab and Execute your Stored Procedure using Exec Command. In this example it will extract the orders from the date 1996-01-01:

    Exec usp_get_orders '1996-01-01';
    ZappySys Driver - Execute Custom Stored Procedure

Conclusion

And there you have it — a complete guide on how to update issue in Alteryx without writing complex code. All of this was powered by Jira ODBC Driver, which handled the REST API pagination and authentication for us automatically.

Download the trial 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):

More actions supported by Jira Connector

Got another use case in mind? We've documented the exact setups for a variety of essential Jira operations directly in Alteryx, so you can skip the trial and error. Find your next step-by-step guide below:

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