Delta Syncs and Full Syncs
Jama Connect Interchange syncs data using two methods — Delta Syncs and Full Syncs.
Delta Syncs
Delta Syncs occur automatically at regular intervals, based on the frequency selected on the Integration dashboard.
Each time a Delta Sync is run, any mapped fields that were updated by the user since the last Delta Sync are automatically synchronized by Interchange.
Important considerations
With a delta sync, the integration synchronizes only mapped fields that were changed since the last sync. Mapped fields without changes are not re-synchronized.
When the delta sync runs, data is merged field by field. For example, if the Name field was updated in Jama Connect and the Description field was updated in Jira, after the sync runs, items in both systems contain the Name from Jama Connect and the Description from Jira.
Conflicting changes for Jama Connect to Jira integrations
With bidirectional field mappings, if conflicting changes are made in Jama Connect and Jira between syncs, the most recent update for each field is honored. For example, when a Delta Sync is configured to run every 10 minutes:
The Jama Connect Name field is updated at 12:00.
The Jira Name and Description fields are updated at 12:02.
The Jama Connect Description field is updated at 12:05.
After Delta Sync runs, both items are updated with the Name from Jira and the Description from Jama Connect.
New field mappings
If you add new field mappings to an integration after items already begin syncing, the newly mapped fields aren’t automatically synced on the next Delta Sync. They are only synced if a user makes a change to the mapped field.
For example, you create an integration that includes mappings for the Name and Description fields, then begin syncing items. If you later add a mapping for the Priority field, it isn’t automatically synced for all items on the next delta run. Instead, the Priority field is synced only for an item after a user makes an update to that field.
Full Syncs
Full Syncs only occur when you manually select Full Sync on the integration dashboard.
Important
Full Syncs are a time-intensive process, so only run a full sync with the guidance of Jama Software Support.
Default Full Sync
When a Default Full Sync runs, all mapped fields for all items in the integration are fully synchronized. During the Full Sync, the following operations occur, in the following order:
New items in Jama Connect are synced to Jira.
New items in Jira are synced to Jama Connect.
For applicable mappings, fields are back-flowed in both directions. For example, if your field mappings are set up to populate a Jama Connect text field with the URL of a Jira item, that population occurs during this step.
Existing linked items are updated in both directions:
Bidirectional field mappings — Data is merged at the item level, not the individual field level. All mapped fields are updated with the values from the item that was saved most recently. For example, if the Name, Description, and Priority fields are all mapped bidirectionally between Jama Connect and Jira, the Jira item was updated and saved most recently. When the Full Sync runs, all three values from the Jira item are written to the Jama Connect item.
One-way field mappings — Fields are updated one-way, based on the direction selected on the Field Mappings page.
Comments are synced from Jama Connect to Jira, then from Jira to Jama Connect.
Attachments are synced from Jama Connect to Jira, then from Jira to Jama Connect.
Note
Full Syncs take considerably more time when Comments and Attachments are included in the sync.
Custom Full Sync
The Custom Full Sync option allows you to run a Full Sync on a subset of items and/or mapped fields. For details, see Perform a Full Sync for Jira integrations.
The Custom Full Sync can be used in these scenarios:
Adding a new field mapping — When you add a new field mapping to an existing integration, you can then run a Full Sync for that field only, so that existing items in the integration are updated for that field.
Troubleshooting — If a single field didn't sync correctly, you can run a Full Sync for that field only to reconcile items.
Pre-existing items in one system — When you have a set of pre-existing items that you want to sync to the other system, you can run a Full Sync in one direction to migrate those issues to the other system.