How to use Jira data in PowerBI

Business analytics refers to the digital analysis of data from a range of sources, giving organizations the information they need to make informed decisions rather than relying on guesswork. This makes analytics great news for businesses who want to stay on top of their operations and make the right choices regarding future direction and strategy. But data come thick and fast these days.

So how do business analytics cope? It's simply a case of using the right tools. Take Tableau, for instance — this business analytics platform pulls data from numerous locations and storage silos, giving analysts the kind of vantage point they need to oversee a large amount of data with relative ease. Power BI is another crucial tool, providing powerful visualization functionality and enabling businesses to derive insight from data and then share this insight across the business.

Both of these tools share something in common — both need to interact with high-quality data sources if they are to provide insight at the highest level. This is where Atlassian's Jira provides a distinct advantage to organizations looking to get the most from their business analytics platforms.

In this blog post, we’ll investigate how to use your JIRA data in Microsoft Power BI platform with the help of Power BI Connector for Jira, and why your business may need it.

Using Jira as a Data Source for Power BI

Jira from Atlassian is a workflow management tool designed to support agile collaboration and operation for teams engaged in development projects. In this capacity, the tool is inherently useful for businesses as it enables the unification of efforts and supports a smooth and effective route through product development as far as product launch and beyond.

Because so much of a business's operations flow through the Jira software, it becomes a formidable resource for data. Development efficiency, time to market, and the effectiveness of collaboration between teams represent just a few of the valuable metrics that Jira can gather data on. And, it is vital that businesses are able to tap into this highly valuable resource.

Fortunately, platforms such as Power BI can do just that. The dashboard of the Power BI solution gives business owners the opportunity to view Jira data, to visualize it, and, subsequently, to act upon this data in a way that benefits the organization. However, before this can be achieved, we must first be able to export data from Jira directly to Power BI.

Exporting Data to Power BI from Jira

To handle data export from Jira to Power BI, you will need the 3rd party add-on, such as Power BI Connector for Jira from Alpha Serve. This is a plugin that enables integration between the two pieces of software, and it supports a user-friendly, intuitive, and secure transfer of data into the Power BI interface.

Alpha Serve is a professional software development company with 17 years of experience. Being Atlassian Marketplace Partner, the team offers applications which provide an extra level of security, deliver intelligent integrations for your business and help increase project efficiency by reporting and time tracking. Alpha Serve offers a stable integration of your Jira instance with Microsoft Power BI, Tableau and BigQuery to widen data landscape for your business analytics. 

With Power BI Connector for Jira app users are able to import data from Jira Core and Jira Software default and custom fields, as well as put a range of different filters in place to achieve data transfer in the correct configuration. The Connector also supports different permission and sharing settings to provide access only to those who are qualified and authorized to do so, adding further layers of security and usability.

But how do businesses benefit from this? How can you use the Power BI Connector for Jira to import data directly from the workflow tool?

Find and Install the Application

Open the admin dropdown menu in Jira, select Add-ons from this menu. On Find new apps screen, search for the Power BI Connector for Jira and select this option. Follow the dialogue menu to download and install the application within the Jira architecture.

Power BI Connector for Jira can also be downloaded directly from the Atlassian Marketplace. 

Manage Permissions

Navigate the settings menus to edit user permissions, apply general settings, and reset to default if required.

Create a Datasource

Return to the Power BI tab on the Jira dashboard. Select Create a Data Source and fill in the description of the source while also completing any changes to settings.

Modify filter settings to filter which Jira Issues you want to export data from.

Head to the Apply section, hit Create to create the data source, and then save.

• Import Data to Power BI 

Within this new data source, find the URL that has been generated and copy this. Open Power BI, select Get Data from the user interface, then hit OData feed. 

Complete Jira login within Power BI. 

Select which tables of data you want to import, and then hit Load to complete the import of data.

Use Cases of Working with Jira Data

What sort of insight can be achieved with data derived from Jira? Take a look at a couple of use cases:

Use Case 1: Time Spent at Different Status Points

Power BI can visualize and interpret data on issue status within Jira. Let's say that Jira issues are spending far longer at the In Progress stage than at the Testing stage. This is indicative of broader problems, but what are these problems? It could be that there are simply not enough personnel available to drive the issue through to testing, or it might be that training has been insufficient for this personnel.

There are other potential problems, including estimates that are off or too much complexity within individual tasks. Diving into the data with Power BI can give you the insight you need to get to the bottom of what is causing these sticking points.

Use Case 2: Estimated Time vs. Actual Time

Data from Jira demonstrates the actual time spent on development projects or on individual project phases. This gives business owners immediate insight into what is causing discrepancies between estimated and actual time. Through visualization and comparison, business owners can iron out inefficiencies and achieve smoother workflows.

Gain Insight from the Power BI Connector for Jira

While Jira's workflow management data is limited to internal data from a business's own workflows and issues, it is still a critical data source. Your business needs to know how your teams are performing as they progress through their workflows. You also need to know where you can strengthen and improve your operations for the future.

Thanks to an easy set-up process and secure transmission and handling of data, the Power BI Connector for Jira puts this insight directly into your hands.