How to fully migrate from TFS into Jira

[Karlovsky120]

First of all, I have already looked at answers and links provided here:

https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Jira-Software-questions/Migrating-from-TFS-to-JIRA/qaq-p/1241424

What I need to do is migrate a subset of TFS issues and other components into JIRA. I can use TFS C# API to extract all the information I need from my TFS instance. The problem that I am yet to resolve is importing this data into JIRA.

One of the more important aspects of migration is the fact that I want to keep the issue history and preserve dates and times of when issues were created/changed.

CSV import seems to be too limited in that regard and REST API doesn't seem to support spoofing dates and times. I'm not sure if third party tools do what I need, but they are too expensive for me. Besides, if a third party tool can do it, I don't see why I couldn't interface with JIRA in the same way.

I even thought about changing the time in JIRA itself before creating/changing issues, but that seems to be limited to picking a time zone.

Is there a way, short of directly modifying the time and date entries in the database once the migration is complete, to recreate a project history in JIRA?

[Ankita Mehta]

Hi @Karlovsky120

While Jira’s JSON import lets you create issues with specific fields (including custom ones), you can’t import full issue history (like status transitions, comments, changelogs, or original timestamps) using the native JSON import alone.

Also, when planning a TFS to Jira migration—especially if you want to preserve history—it's important to shift from “What can I do with the tools?” to “What should I plan for to make this migration clean, accurate, and future-proof?” Things to consider before you begin:

• What needs to be migrated?
  Just open issues? Or also closed ones, history, comments, attachments, links, and custom fields?
• Do you need to preserve original dates and authorship?
  If yes, then native CSV imports or API-based DIY scripts won’t help—you’ll lose timestamps and change logs.
• How important is traceability?
  Will downstream teams or audits rely on historical accuracy (who changed what, when, and why)? This affects what level of fidelity you must maintain.
• Do you need mapping across different workflows?
  TFS and Jira have very different field structures, workflows, and statuses. You’ll need a clear mapping strategy.
• How much manual effort can you afford?
  Writing a custom importer sounds doable at first—but edge cases, retries, validation, and consistency checks quickly become overwhelming.

Once you've mapped what matters most—whether it’s preserving traceability, minimizing manual effort, or ensuring high data fidelity—it becomes easier to decide the right approach. Some teams prioritize audit-ready histories, others need a clean cutover with zero downtime.

If you’re looking for a structured, low-risk way to handle this, you may consider using an enterprise - grade solution like OpsHub Migration Manager, an Atlassian partner tool designed to support non-disruptive, high-fidelity migrations without forcing teams to pause work midstream.

If you have any questions or want to request a demo, feel free to reach out.

 Hope it helps!

[Karlovsky120]

Actually, can anybody confirm that I can import a complete issue with it's history and dates and times intact using JSON import? If so, that solves all my problems.