Do Jira Forms save the information as metadata or as a new record of a work item type?

[Jay McKelvey]

I'm seeing information that Jira Forms can store data as metadata as default.  But, when I try to create a form, it requires each question on the form to map to a field and only appears to be able to save it as a new record for a work item type.  

[Kai Becker · Accepted solution]

Hi @Jay McKelvey 

there is a difference between forms for Jira projects and Forms for Jira Service Management projects. The once from JSM can be stored as own entity and for example attached to a work item. Additionally you can link Form fields to work item fields to map data directly

Forms in Jira will always create an work item. Consider them to be an easy way of gathering information from non technical users that might find the Jira ui to complicated.

Here are some links with further information:

Jira forms: https://support.atlassian.com/jira-software-cloud/docs/what-are-forms-and-what-can-they-do/

JSM forms: https://support.atlassian.com/jira-service-management-cloud/docs/what-are-forms/

[Jay McKelvey]

super helpful  Thanks Kai.  

[Olha Yevdokymova_SaaSJet]

Hi @Jay McKelvey 

You're absolutely right about that limitation with native Jira Forms - they do require mapping each question to a specific Jira field, which can be restrictive when you want to collect data that doesn't necessarily need to become permanent issue fields.

If you need more flexibility in how form data is stored and managed, you might want to look into Smart Forms for Jira developed by my team. Unlike native Jira Forms, it can store form responses as structured data without requiring every question to map to a Jira field. This gives you several advantages:

1. Flexible data collection - You can create comprehensive forms with questions that don't need corresponding Jira fields
2. Centralized response management - All form submissions are stored and viewable in a dedicated Responses tab within the add-on
3. Export capabilities - You can export all response data to Excel or PDF for analysis, regardless of field mapping
4. Optional field mapping - You can still choose to map specific form responses to Jira fields when it makes sense, but it's not required

This approach is particularly useful for surveys, feedback collection, detailed incident reports, or any scenario where you're gathering information that's valuable but doesn't need to live in standard Jira fields.

The form data remains accessible and searchable within the add-on, so you don't lose any information - you just have more control over how and where it's stored.