Is it possible to create a report that displays custom date fields?

[Karen Kaplan]

We'd like a report that shows planned start date vs actual start date and planned end date vs. actual end date for each task.  We have the fields set up in the task.  We are trying to measure where we missing our estimations. We do not use hourly estimates. Just start and finish

[Bill Sheboy · Accepted solution]

Hi @Karen Kaplan 

Are those custom fields in your instance?  If so, have you tried to do an advanced filter search with JQL and just include those fields in the results?

Best regards,
Bill

[Karen Kaplan]

I could try that.  I was hoping for more of a report. Thanks @Bill Sheboy 

[Bill Sheboy]

Thanks for that info, and here are some other options:

• You could check out the dashboard gadgets to see if any of those would help *and* support your fields.  Several of them do not support custom fields.
• If you use Confluence, you could build a page which displays a filter
• You could try one of the market place addons for reporting.  Most of those are for purchase.
• If you do not need this inside of Jira, you could use the Excel or Google Sheets add-ins (both free) to build your own report and pull data on demand from Jira.

[Karen Kaplan]

Thanks.  The last one seems to be the best solutions.  Using Excel or Google sheets.  I've not used those add-ins and didn't know they were available.  I was trying to find a way to export the data from within Jira.  I still need to build a report with those fields in Jira, right?

[Bill Sheboy]

Yes, that is correct: you will need to build your report, such as with a pivot table, chart, etc. 

One advantage of those free spreadsheet add-ins is that you predefine your JQL, and it will pull the data when you open it up for reporting.  This is different than exporting data and building a report each time they are needed.

Here are the marketplace links for those free add-ins from Atlassian:

https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1221301/jira-cloud-for-excel-official?hosting=cloud&tab=overview

https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1220382/jira-cloud-for-google-sheets-official?hosting=cloud&tab=overview

[Karen Kaplan]

Thank you so much

[Levente Szabo _Midori_]

The free Jira Cloud for Excel and Sheets add-ins are indeed useful for some use cases, but as with all free offerings, they come with limitations and rigid features.

If you are looking for more reliable and professional Excel reports, get the full picture and learn about all your options! Check out Better Excel Exporter, the most advanced Jira Cloud Excel exporter alternative app that is a dedicated Jira Cloud app (not a Microsoft Excel add-in) and was geared towards the more complex and customized Jira Cloud Excel reporting needs.

Read a comparison between Jira Cloud for Excel and Better Excel Exporter >>

(Please note that Better Excel Exporter is a paid and supported app and I'm part of the team developing it.)