Restore Deleted Issues in Jira Data Center: Tips & Tools

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Critical data loss within the Jira Data Center can create serious problems like delayed projects and non-compliance issues. Issues that disappear from the system due to accidental deletion or system failures cause work disruptions and pose significant risks for the business. Therefore, every company needs a Jira Data Center recovery plan to function effectively.

This article explains how users can restore their deleted Jira issues using third-party apps and backup methods. Implementing the right recovery strategies ensures that lost data can be retrieved while maintaining consistent project functionality.

Deleted Issues in Jira Data Center

Multiple factors, including human mistakes, system breakdowns, and accidental bulk operations, can lead to issues being deleted from Jira Data Center. Additionally, administrators may delete issues while attempting to remove outdated data. Without backup copies, deleted issues cannot be restored, making the deletion process permanent.

Jira Data Center users require the "Delete Issues" permission to execute issue deletion actions. Typically, users with project administrator roles and Jira admin permissions can delete issues based on configured permission settings.

Accidental removal of issues can disrupt project tracking and create regulatory compliance challenges. When critical data becomes unavailable, audits and reporting become more difficult, making it harder to track previous project changes. Implementing proper recovery strategies for Jira Data Center is essential for restoring deleted issues and ensuring business continuity.

Possible Options to Recover Deleted Issues in Jira Data Center

Backups

Jira administrators can perform complete instance backups through XML format. The recovery of deleted issues begins by creating a temporary Jira instance, restoring a backup, and then selecting specific issues for import into the production Jira system.

Let’s explore this process in detail. Administrators should create full Jira instance backups in XML format to recover deleted issues. They can restore specific deleted issues by following this procedure:

1. Setting up a temporary Jira instance: Administrators must configure a separate Jira environment to avoid disruptions to ongoing operations.
2. Restoring the backup: Import the XML backup that was created before the issues were deleted into the temporary instance.
3. Exporting required issues: After restoration, select and export the required issues in CSV format.
4. Reimporting issues into Jira: Jira’s CSV import capability allows you to reintroduce these issues into your live environment.

Now, let’s examine the practical steps of restoring the data from an XML backup in Jira Data Center:

• Go to Administration > System.

                             

• Navigate to Import and Export > Restore System.

                                               

• After that, specify the backup file. Type the name of your zipped XML backup file in the “File name” field. Check that the backup file exists in the correct location according to the page instructions.

• Confirm Index Path. The Index Path indicates the location where Jira will retrieve search index data. The chosen path in the backup file maintains its original structure and cannot be modified.
• Then, you need to start the process of restoring by clicking on the Restore button.

Also, during this process, it is recommended to pay attention to a few things. Firstly, Jira will automatically log you out after restoration because it uses backup user account data to replace current account data. You need to obtain login credentials for a backup user who holds the Jira System Administrator global permission.

Secondly, you must restore backup attachments into a directory that Jira can access. Jira must have read and write permissions for the directory and its subdirectories, where this backup should be restored.

Backups create several significant disadvantages during operation. The backup process may become unstable when users maintain active interactions with Jira Data Center, causing potential inconsistencies in the backup file that could result in restoration problems.

Audit Logs

System activities and user actions are documented in Jira Data Center audit logs, which include records of deleted issues. Administrators check audit logs to discover which user removed specific issues and when, to keep track of who is responsible and what happened during recovery work. However, audit logs cannot restore issues that have been deleted from the system.

To access audit logs in Jira Data Center, do the following:

• Go to Administration > System > Audit Log.

• Choose Settings in the top-right corner.
• Set your Coverage level to Advanced or Full to ensure the system tracks issue deletions.
• Examine the audit log to find Issue deleted entries. The log shows which user performed the deletion and when the action occurred.

Note that users can find this feature in Jira Data Center starting from version 8.8.0.

Issue History for Jira App

Issue History for Jira app enables Jira Data Center users to track and manage issue changes. It tracks all issue modifications but also enables users to find deleted issues and restore them.

The Keep Deleted Issues option enables administrators to create an archive of deleted issues, which they can restore at any time.

Also, this app enables users to export their issue histories into XLSX or CSV formats, which simplifies external analysis and reporting needs.

Follow these steps to restore deleted issues with the Issue History for Jira app:

1. Enable Deleted Issue Tracking. Navigate to the app's settings. Enable the "Keep Deleted Issues" option (it is necessary). The app maintains a record of every deletion through this activation.

2. Then, use Deleted Issues filter. Also, you can choose the required project, date range, etc.

3. Restore the Desired Issue. Select the issue you need to recover. Hover over the desired issue, then click the Restore button that appears. The preview window shows details of the issue after you click Restore. Use the Restore button to confirm the recovery process.

You can restore deleted issues in Jira Data Center through the Issue History for Jira app by following this procedure.

Try the Issue History for Jira app

Summing Up

The absence of a recycle bin and straightforward recovery feature in Jira Data Center makes restoring deleted issues difficult for users. The protection of your Jira instance data requires regular backups as a fundamental prevention measure. You can restore backups of deleted issues on a separate server to retrieve them after accidental deletions.

Also, Issue History for Jira app is a third-party solution that tracks deleted issues and enables users to restore them easily and quickly.

[Gregory Kneller]

if Jira uses Oracle database, then Oracle Flashback Query may be helpful:

SELECT * 
FROM jiraissue
AS OF TIMESTAMP (SYSTIMESTAMP - INTERVAL '15' MINUTE)
MINUS
SELECT * FROM jiraissue