Mass Delete for Jira

The Mass Delete for Jira add-on makes the removal of a large number of Jira issues easy.

Unlike the bulk delete functionality provided by Jira, this add-on has no limit on the number of issues removed by one job. It simply removes all of the issues matching the provided query. Depending on the number of issues, the process may take a substantial amount of time. Mass Delete for Jira provides a real-time progress monitor, which can also be used to terminate a running job if necessary.

Configuration

Deletion jobs

The Deletion jobs page shows deletion job(s) along with their status. It is also the starting page used to create new jobs.

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Only one job can be running at a time. When a job is currently in progress, its status is displayed in the same table.

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The page includes the following columns:

  • Name

  • Status - one of:

    •  In progress

    • Done (completed successfully)

    • Stopped (user terminated the job while it was running)

    • Failed (job terminated due to an unexpected error)

  • Created date and time

  • Last update - when an issue was last deleted

  • Deleted count

  • Skipped count - an issue may be skipped if the add-on receives an error, for example, because it is not authorized to delete it or because the issue no longer exists

  • Remaining count

An in-progress job may be stopped using the Stop action. Completed or stopped jobs can be executed again with the Run again action. Before a job is re-executed, it will be possible to rename it, adjust the query and review the currently matching issues.

Creating jobs

Click the Create new job or use the Run again action in the Deletion jobs screen to create a new job. The configuration page is shown below.

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Each job is given a Job name. This name will be used as a label on job status page.

The Query determines what Jira issues will be deleted by the job. You can select an existing favorite filter, or enter the Jira Query Language (JQL) query directly. Tip: to obtain a ready-to-use query without creating a favorite filter, you can use the Jira issue search and click the "Advanced" link to get the corresponding JQL clause.

Once the job name and query are in place, click Preview matching issues to review Jira issues matching the query.

The add-on will display a quick preview with a small sample. It also provides a View all issues button, opening Jira search with the same query in a new tab. Use it to review more issues and have access to column selection. If you adjust the query in Jira issue search, remember to copy it back to job configuration!

Next, click the Delete issues button. Before the job starts, it needs confirmation by typing in the number of issues currently matching the query.

Once the job is saved, you will be navigated back to the job status page.

Date changes and long-running jobs

Mass Delete for Jira repeatedly runs the configured query (for several issues at a time) and then performs the removal. For this reason, if the data matching the query changes, it will affect the execution.

  1. If new issues start to match the query (e.g. they are created when the job is running), they may be removed as well.

  2. If some issues no longer match the query (e.g. they were deleted or updated), they may remain unaffected.

Whether any of the above occurs depends on timing and race conditions. In this case, the number of removed issues will be different from the count presented at the moment of job creation. The job status page keeps the counts up to date.

Security

Jira Cloud

During the installation, Jira will create an artificial "user" representing the add-on in the system. The user is called "Mass Delete" and is visible in User Management like a regular user account (but it does not count toward the user limit). The add-on will use this account to communicate with Jira.

To control what the app can do, adjust the permissions of this artificial user. If your Jira is configured in a way that grants new users access to some issues or the ability to remove them, it will be necessary to configure the permissions before using Mass Delete for Jira. Otherwise, the app will be unable to operate, acting on fewer issues than expected or even reporting errors related to lack of project or issue visibility or authorization to remove issues.

Jira DC

When used in Jira DC, Mass Delete performs all operations as the user who is currently logged in. Issues will be removed using the access rights of the user who created the deletion job.

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