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Jira Data Center to Jira Cloud Migration - Is it possible to migrate in steps?

  • April 19, 2024
  • 3 replies
  • 11 views
R

Hello,

we are migrating Jira from Data Center to Cloud, and we have a ZenDesk integration.

I saw this article: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408830699546-Migrating-the-Zendesk-Jira-integration-when-moving-Jira-instances

The migration guide seems to be quick and simple, but it just talks about a switch from DC to Cloud.

Since we are on a big instance, we are planning a migration in more steps.

How would it work in this case? Is it possible to migrate projects in more steps? Or is it required to migrate all ZenDesk projects at once?

 

Thanks a lot!

Roberto

 

    3 replies

    Mike53
    • Mike53Employee
    • Employee
    • May 27, 2024
    Hi Roberto!
     
    For the process, we would simply link your Zendesk tickets and projects from the old Jira instance to the new one in any case they don't carry over once you have done the migration.
    Tetiana13
    • Tetiana13
    • Newcomer
    • May 8, 2026

    Hi,

    The Zendesk–Jira integration is instance-level, so it doesn’t support clean project-by-project migration.

    You can migrate Jira projects in stages, but the integration should be switched only once the Cloud instance is fully ready. Otherwise, you’ll get broken or inconsistent links.

    If you need a phased migration, teams usually run DC and Cloud in parallel and coordinate the final cutover.

    Tools like Help Desk Migration can help manage related Zendesk-side data migration, but the integration still requires a single stable Jira Cloud endpoint.

     

    Help Desk Migration | Zendesk Official Partner | help-desk-migration.com
    configly
    • configly
    • May 11, 2026

    Agreeing with Tetiana on the core point: the Zendesk side of this is instance-level, so trying to run a half-and-half state will give you broken links. The integration only knows about one Jira endpoint at a time.

    A few practical things if you're going phased on the Jira side:

    Keep the Zendesk integration pointed at DC for the whole migration window, even as projects move to Cloud. Yes, that means new Zendesk tickets can't link to already-migrated Cloud projects during the transition, but it's the least painful option. The alternative (flipping the integration mid-migration) leaves you with a chunk of links that can't resolve in either direction.

    When you do cut over, the link migration tool relies on issue keys being preserved across the move. Worth confirming with whoever's running the Jira side that they're maintaining keys for every project, not just the early ones. I've seen this trip people up where late-wave projects got new keys assigned and the link migration silently failed for those.

    One thing to plan for: the link migration tool runs once per previously-connected instance and can take up to an hour. If your support team is actively linking tickets to Jira during business hours, schedule the cutover for a quiet window. The integration features keep working during the migration, but newly-created links during that hour can behave oddly.

    If you've got the budget for it and the timeline is tight, third-party tools (Getint, Unito) handle project-level sync more flexibly because they're not constrained to Zendesk's single-instance model. Worth a look if running parallel for weeks isn't an option for you.

    What's the rough scale, number of projects and active linked tickets? Right answer shifts a bit depending on volume.

    Phil | Configly, config management for Zendesk admins (configly.app)
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