Can I modify the entities.xml file?

[Jackie hardy]

I have an entities.xml file from one site backup. Can this file be modified to remove projects that I do not want before importing into my new site?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist- · Accepted solution]

In theory, yes, it can.

But.  The xml is not structured by project, it's closer to the database layout.  Removing a project from the xml is not just removing a block of xml.  You'll need to remove a couple of bits from the project section, and some from the project configuration sections, and some from issues section, and quite a lot of separate pieces from each of the many custom field sections, and from the custom field config section, and from the notifications, and the issue history, and the comments and, and, and, and 

Even a simple block of Jira XML will take you weeks to understand and edit a project out of without breaking it (and "being able to import it" is not the definition of "not broken" - that's "being able to import it and not have anything break", which is a much higher bar)

You will find it faster, easier, cheaper and safer to simply import the current file and delete the projects you don't want afterwards.

[Jackie hardy]

Thank you. I will import and then delete.

[Jackie hardy]

Please confirm that deleting the projects after importing into my new site will not affect the project in the current production site. I am hopeful it will not but proceeding with caution as this is my first time using the import and I do not want to mess anything up. 

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Ok, stop for a second - what import are you using here?

If it is a full site import, it will overwrite everything in your new site, everything will go.  That's the import, not the delete.  If your new site is "production", you will lose everything currently in it.

[Jackie hardy]

Sure, ok, I have a backup file from my current prod site. This site currently has many users and many projects.  We procured a new instance however I am still waiting for assistance on how to get the PO tied to a new SEN as I did not set up the current prod site. In the meantime I have created a standard cloud trial site so I can become familiar with the import process. Once we officially get our new site with the SEN created it will be clean, no projects just as my trial site. I will import my backup file into my new site and delete all projects except for the one that is needed in my new site. Before I imported I modified my entities.xml file and made all users inactive.  I did 36 replacements of the current prod site name with my test/trial site name, and disabled emails.  When I access my site I see all projects that were imported into my new trial site. When I delete those projects they are in no way still tied to the same projects in production, correct? 

Also,  I asked one of the users if she was able to access the trial site and she said she could. I thought making her inactive in the entities.xml file would prohibit her from seeing the site but I guess it does not. Do you know what the active=0 affects?

Thanks Nic

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Ah, ok, so importing into an empty system.  That's fine then, the import won't be overwriting, and  project deletes will only affect the projects that you want rid of.  Projects are highly independent of each other, delete only kills the project and the issues still in it, it doesn't touch anything that might be used by other projects.

Cloud uses different account systems to Server, I'm not sure the Active switch on the accounts will do anything on import.