As you prepare to migrate to Jira Cloud using the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant (JCMA), it is important to be aware of a key factor that may affect your overall migration timeline: Atlassian's Issue Transformation process.
Understanding the role of Atlassian’s Issue Transformation in the migration process helps you better prepare and minimize disruptions. Factoring this step into your planning will support a smoother and more predictable migration to Jira Cloud.
What is Issue Transformation?
Atlassian is rolling out a new Issue Transformation feature (see Upcoming changes: Issue transformations), which introduces fundamental changes to how issue data is structured and stored in Jira Cloud. This process is automatically performed as part of the JCMA migration workflow.
How Does This Affect Tempo Migration?
Tempo relies heavily on Jira issue data–particularly worklogs–to operate correctly. As a result, the Issue Transformation process must be completed before Tempo data can be migrated. The JCMA tool handles this transformation, and Tempo’s migration depends on the successful completion and setup of this foundational data within Jira Cloud.
Expected Delays
Due to this dependency, your overall migration timeline may be extended. Based on our experience, larger Jira instances may experience delays of multiple days, sometimes weeks, depending on the amount of data, as the Issue Transformation completes. This is particularly relevant if you are migrating substantial data volumes.
Important Considerations
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No Workaround Available
The Issue Transformation is fully managed by Atlassian and cannot be bypassed or accelerated by Tempo. We are reliant on Atlassian’s infrastructure to complete this process. -
Large Instances (Over 10 Million Worklogs)
If your Jira instance contains more than 10 million worklogs, we strongly recommend contacting our support team before commencing any migration tests or production migrations. We can help you assess the potential impact and prepare accordingly. Early engagement allows us to assess potential impacts and plan proactively.
Our Recommendations:
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Plan for Possible Delays
When scheduling your migration, include buffer time to account for potential delays associated with the Issue Transformation. -
Monitor Migration Progress
While you cannot directly track the Issue Transformation, you can use JCMA’s progress indicators to monitor the overall migration status. A stalled initial phase may indicate that this step is still in progress. -
Contact Support If Needed
If your migration appears to be delayed beyond the estimated two days—or if you are working with a very large instance—please contact our support team for guidance.
Worklogs with Missing or Null Date Fields
During the Issue Transformation process, Atlassian enforces strict validation on Jira worklog records. If your source data contains worklog entries with NULL values in the created, updated, or started fields, the Issue Transformation process may stall or fail entirely.
Impact on Migration
Because Tempo migration depends on Atlassian's successful Issue Transformation, any stall at this stage will block the overall migration of Tempo data.
Atlassian Platform Behavior
This validation is performed exclusively within Atlassian's Issue Transformation pipeline. Tempo has no visibility into or control over how Atlassian processes these database fields during migration.
Recommended Action
We strongly recommend executing a pre-migration data check on your Jira Data Center instance during initial test migrations. Identifying and remediating worklog entries with null timestamps prior to production migration prevents unexpected delays.