Planning your migration to Cloud

Migrating to Cloud can take up to several months, and may vary widely depending on several factors, including the size of the instance, the complexity of the data, the number of users, and whether apps are involved. Below is an overview of the timeframes we recommend for migrating with Elements Connect:

DC configuration analysis and compatibility check: 1–3 weeks
Configurations migration: 2–4 weeks
Fields value migration: 2–4 weeks
Post-migration configuration and testing: 2 weeks

If you think you will need help in your migration process, we highly recommend that you reach us as soon as your migration has been decided.

👉 Ask for help!

Before starting your migration to Elements Connect Cloud, ensure you have all the necessary information and a comprehensive understanding of the process. Proper preparation will help you avoid unexpected challenges and streamline the migration experience.

Understand available fields types on Cloud and how they work

Elements Connect Cloud offers 2 types of connected fields; connected custom fields and connected items.

Choosing the right one depends on your specific needs for data migration, integration, performance, and visibility in Jira (as they serve different purposes).

Feature/Capability	Connected Custom Fields	Connected Items
Usage in Jira Service Management	🟠 Partially available (supported on agent view and portal, but limited dependencies) 🟠 Dependency to request context is partially available	Available on request creation forms in the customer portal Dependency to request context is available
Usage in Jira projects	Available Dependency to issue context	Usable in view screens of any project type, but not on issue creation screens Dependency to issue context is unavailable
Live fields	Available	Not available
Advanced customization of display	Not available (expected to be released S2 2025)	Available, see our Template guide
Integration with workflow validators	Available	Not available
Integration with advanced reports created with native JQL	Available	Not available
Integration with Automation and 3rd-party apps	Available	Not available
Populate migrated data from Connect Data Center	Available	Not available

For more details about different fields types, please refer to this page.

Assess your Data Center configurations

After having an overview of available field types on the Cloud and functionalities they support, it’s time to analyze your Elements Connect Data Center configuration.

Some use cases can be translated seamlessly to Cloud, while others may not yet be available, or you need to implement a different approach to achieve the same that you have done in your Jira Data Center environment.

A careful analysis of your Data Center configuration will help you in planning workarounds or adjustments as needed.

Datasource assessment:

Determine datasources you use in Connect Data Center and if they’re supported in Cloud (click here for list of supported datasources in Cloud).

Here are some identified problematic use-cases and suggested workarounds (when possible):

Feature in Connect Data Center	Availability in Connect Cloud	Suggested workaround
Datasource in one of the following: Jira SQL, Jira JQL	Currently unavailable	Connect to your local Jira instance by creating a REST API datasource.
Datasource is a file	Currently unavailable	Switch the Data (if possible) into a Databaseor a REST API datasource
Datasource is a REST API but response type is not JSON (XML, CSV…)	Currently unavailable	Update the Datasource response (if possible) to JSON.
Datasource authentication mode: MTLS	Currently unavailable	N/A
Database connected via VPN	Currently unavailable	Expose API or use an intermediate proxy.

Fields assessment

Identify all custom fields in Connect Data Center (we encourage you to clean unused fields to simplify your migration).
Check for complex queries
Check for complex templates
Identify used dependencies and check whether they are supported or not (for a complete list of available dependencies, click 👉 here).

Here are some identified problematic use-cases and suggested workarounds (when possible):

Feature in Connect Data Center	Availability in Connect Cloud	Suggested workaround
Filtering API responses (JSON Path)	Currently unavailable	Wait a few weeks for the feature tu be released, we are actively working on it.
Fields relying on Velocity in templates	Currently unavailable in Cloud for Custom Fields. FreeMarker templating language available for Connected Items	For complex and mandatory displayed templates, use Connected Items. Having FreeMarker and HMTL in Custom Fields is in our mid-term roadmap.
Fields relying on HTML in templates	Currently unavailable in Cloud for Custom Fields. HTML templating available for Connected Items
Date time field	Not available in Cloud

Discover full feature parity table here!