What these conditions are, is going to be dictated by the type of field involved & the possible values for that field. As you can see, JQL is offering multiple possibilities for Jira users to search for issues, but at the same time JQL usage requests some knowledge to be conducted correctly. As an Atlassian partner we’ve done so in the past with multiple customers through JQL consultations or training sessions. Using search in Jira can help you gain key project insights and answer questions that are relevant to the team.
The three flavors of search in Jira — quick, basic, and advanced — can help you find important information about your projects. Use the status field to filter issues based on their current status. This section will focus on dissecting a handful of complex queries to deepen your understanding of how Jira jql queries work in practice. There are numerous benefits of jql queries over the basic search available in Jira.
Download the JIRA JQL Cheat Sheet PDF
So it’s safe to say that ideally every team working with Jira is able to use the advanced search with JQL. JQL, short for Jira Query Language, is the preeminent and exceptionally versatile method for locating issues within the Jira platform. JQL caters to a diverse user base, encompassing developers, testers, agile project managers, and business stakeholders.
You can also use parentheses to group clauses for applying the NOT operator to clause groups. Whether it contains or doesn’t contain certain characters is indicated by ‘~’ or ‘! Whether it’s in a list or not in a list is denoted by ‘IN’ or ‘NOT IN’. Checking for empty values can be done with ‘IS’ or ‘IS NOT’.
Functions in Jira Query Language
First, you should break down your complex query into several individual query conditions. Start by writing the JQL for each query condition separately, and then try combining them together. And each basic query unit can be combined into more complex queries using “AND” or “OR.”
To perform a more complex query, you can link clauses together with keywords. A field, operator, and function can together form a query condition. Regularly review saved filters to ensure they are still relevant and performing well. Thanks for sharing this article @Andrei Pisklenov [Actonic] ! This is really very useful for any new Jira users looking for learning JQL search capabilities in Jira. A simple query in JQL (also known as a “clause”) consists of a field, followed by an operator, followed by one or more values or functions.
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Filter issues by priority and order them by creation date in descending order. That’s why we have developed an app for Jira cloud that lets you search any such entities on your Jira instance. And the good thing is that it takes all its structure from the Jira JQL. Just enter your query in plain English & it will get converted into JQL automatically.
Use the ~ operator to search for specific keywords or phrases within issue summaries, descriptions, or comments. You can create custom widgets based on JQL searches and display them on your dashboard, making it easier to track and monitor your work across projects. AI is definitely getting better & better with this, however one can never be 100% confident of its accuracy – especially when dealing with complex queries.And then there’s one more reason. AI features are currently available only on the Cloud versions of Jira, so DC instances of large organisations still rely on human written JQL queries. Even on cloud, companies from highly regulated industries are on the fence about using AI. They see that as a potential threat for exposing their proprietary data.
Text Search
If you seem to be using some specific Jira jql queries often, turn them into a saved filter. Designing an advanced jql query will need some way to connect multiple search criteria together. In your query, you will seek to retrieve specific issues that meet certain conditions.
- It goes beyond the basic search & lets you dig deeper into the data with advanced features such as operators, functions, customizations & more.
- It is a structured approach to search issues within your Jira.
- In your query, you will seek to retrieve specific issues that meet certain conditions.
As seen below, a Jira jql query can be broken down into small elements – fields, operators, values, keywords, functions & more. Advanced search allows you to build structured queries using Jira Query Language (JQL) to search for issues within and across projects. Query results can be saved and used as filters and views across Jira (including boards). Highlighted toggle lets you switch between the Basic & JQL (aka advanced) search.Basic search itself lets you choose the fields & corresponding values that you want to search for.
By keeping documentation accessible, practicing with real-world scenarios, leveraging learning resources, and using a cheat sheet, you can continually enhance your JQL skills. This list does not end here, but it should definitely give you an idea into the depth of function availability for advanced search in Jira. Tip – One easy way to see the limitations of basic search is to try & switch to the Basic search from JQL search.
Its utility extends beyond mere issue retrieval; a proficient mastery of JQL empowers users to conduct nuanced searches and queries of Jira issues. So more often than not, you will work with your colleagues in there. That’s where the workload of creating various JQL queries can be distributed amongst the team. However, if you wanted to see all issues that meet all the above criteria or any bug whose title includes the word ‘Critical’ – the basic search won’t be of immediate help.
This query finds all issues where the summary and description contains words starting with “roadmap” and “log”. You can also search issues from the “Issues” section in the dropdown menu. Find issues whose summary or description contain jql query any of the listed words in a test project. Advanced JQL queries section led the discussion with the nuances & then dived deeper into practical examples. These examples illustrated how you can tackle real-world scenarios.