1. Introduction

In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the process of setting up a custom connector to extract data from Jira and create a Power BI report. This custom connector can be found on our GitHub site ( https://github.com/audoxcl/Power-BI-Jira-Connector ).

2. Setting Up the Connector

Start by visiting our GitHub site where you can find the custom connector. In the video description, you’ll find a link to detailed instructions on how to set up this connector.

3. Preparing the Power BI Report

Before we dive into the connector setup, ensure you have Power BI Desktop installed on your system. If you don’t have it already, you can download and install it from the official Power BI website.

4. Accessing the Power Query Editor

1. Open Power BI Desktop and create a new report. For this tutorial, we’re going to use the Power BI report that’s inside our Github site.
2. To configure the custom connector, click on “Transform Data” to open the Power Query Editor.

3. In the Power Query Editor, you will find the necessary elements for configuring the connector.

5. Connector Configuration

1. Within the Power Query Editor, configure the custom connector by providing the following information:

• Connector URL: This is the URL where the connector is installed.

• Connector Token: Note that you will require two tokens:

1. one for the connector itself 
2. another to access Jira. 

You can name them as per your preference. Detailed instructions on obtaining these tokens can be found in the video description.

• Domain: Refers to the subdomain of your Jira instance in the cloud. It can be found in the URL.

• Email: Refers to the email of your Jira account. You can create one to only use the connector like powerbi@nameofyourcompany.com.

• Set the maxResults to define the number of records to fetch at a time. For example, you can fetch them a hundred at a time.

6. Building the Query

1. Let’s focus on how to construct the query for the “Issues” table as an example. Right click on the selected table and let’s click on the Advanced Editor.

2. In the current view, we can see how to bring in data in JSON format from the connector’s URL.

3. Use the “Action Get Records” method from the source code to extract the “Issues” object. 

4. Pass  the domain as a parameter. Additionally, we include other required attributes for the query, such as the email, API token, and a default JQL section. The `maxResults` is set as a parameter, and headers are configured for sending the request to the API

6. In the “Headers,” make sure to pass the connector token.

7. Data Transformation

The subsequent steps are designed to transform the JSON data into the essential fields required for your report.

8. Building your own Power BI Report

1. You can now return to Power BI Desktop from the Power Query Editor.
2. Create visuals, charts, and tables based on the data you’ve extracted from Jira.
3. Customize the report as desired, including filters and user-specific information.

9. Testing the Data

1. Now, it’s time to make an adjustment to an issue. In this particular instance, we will focus on the issue with the key SUP-10. The summary indicates that the issue was raised because we need to purchase additional licenses. To do this, simply select the icon that links the URL for the deal in Jira to the Power BI report.

2. In the Jira issue, the next step involves clicking on the Priority section. Subsequently, we’ll adjust the priority to highest, and then close the screen. With these modifications in place, it’s time to return to our Power BI report.

3. Now we can Refresh the data for the Power BI report.

4. Finally, we can see that the new priority is set to Highest.

10. Conclusion

In summary, this detailed tutorial has walked you through the steps to connect Jira and Power BI smoothly, enabling the creation of a data-focused Power BI report. By setting up this custom connector, you can easily pull data from Jira and incorporate it directly into your reports. This setup allows you to keep your reports up-to-date with real-time data, supporting well-informed business decisions based on the latest available information.

By diligently following the comprehensive steps outlined in this tutorial, you’ve acquired valuable skills to:

• Configure the custom connector, ensuring secure and efficient data transfer.
• Create queries to fetch specific data from Jira.
• Transform raw JSON data into fields suitable for your reports.
• Build visually appealing and informative Power BI reports.
• Test and refresh your data to keep your reports current.

Step 11: Additional Resources

For further assistance and resources, we provide the following links:

1. Custom Connector on GitHub: You can find the custom connector used in this tutorial on our GitHub site. Access it here.
2. Sample Power BI Report: We’ve also made available a sample Power BI report for Power BI Desktop. You can download this report here. It can serve as a solid foundation for your own reports and help you understand how to visualize your Jira data effectively.