Integrating OvalEdge with JIRA

OvalEdge supports integration with JIRA, allowing users to efficiently track or approve service requests. JIRA fields can be mapped to corresponding Service Desk fields in OvalEdge, with the flexibility of one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-one mappings. 

Once integrated, JIRA can be configured as part of the workflow to act as an approver, where requests require approval in JIRA to proceed, or simply to track service requests in JIRA without dependency on approval.

In OvalEdge, JIRA can be integrated into a specific Service Desk Template using the integration functionality. Once JIRA is set up, metadata from JIRA is fetched, and Service Desk Template fields in OvalEdge are mapped to the corresponding JIRA fields. After mapping, workflows are configured to either use JIRA as an Approver or as a Tracker:

• Approver:

• When JIRA is set as an approver, the service request in OvalEdge will not progress until it is approved in JIRA.
• If a service request is created in OvalEdge, it awaits approval from JIRA, displaying the JIRA ticket ID and status.
• Once approved or rejected in JIRA, the status is synced back to OvalEdge through an automated job that runs once every 30 minutes or through a manual sync.
  • If approved, the service request is fulfilled in OvalEdge. 
  • If rejected, the service request is either reopened for further approval or closed.
• A reopened request will go through the same approval process in JIRA until approved or rejected.

• Tracker:
  • If JIRA is used as a tracker, the service request in OvalEdge is mirrored in JIRA without affecting the approval flow in OvalEdge.

• • A JIRA ticket is created, and its ID is displayed in the service request in OvalEdge for reference. However, there is no dependency on JIRA for approval; the ticket is tracked independently in JIRA.

Setting Up JIRA in OvalEdge

To configure JIRA in OvalEdge, follow these steps:

• Login to OvalEdge:

• • Access the OvalEdge application using your credentials.

• Navigate to the Service Desk Templates:
  • Go to Administration > Service Desk Templates.
    

• • Click on the Integrations button at the top right corner of the page. A list of supported external tools is displayed.

• Add New JIRA Integration:

• • Select the JIRA tab.
  • Click on (+) Add New Integration. A pop-up window will appear.

• Enter Integration Details:
  • Integration Name: Provide a name for the integration (e.g., JIRA).

• • JIRA Server URL: Enter the JIRA instance URL (e.g., https://ovaledgeservicedesk.atlassian.net).
  • Username: Input the username associated with the JIRA server.
    
    Note: To integrate JIRA with OvalEdge, the user linked to the API token must have either the "Administer Projects" role or the "Create Project" permission. These permissions allow the user to create issues and perform other actions through the API.
  • JIRA API Token: Provide the secure token used to access the JIRA API.
    
    Note: The provided token is exclusive to the OvalEdge application and is not valid for other applications.
  • Select Authentication Type:
    • Choose the authentication type for verifying user identity:
      • Basic
      • Bearer
  • Version: Enter the JIRA server version details, whether installed on a dedicated server (on-premise) or in the cloud.
    
    

    Note: 

    • The minimum TLS version must be 1.2 to integrate the two applications.
    • For Basic and Bearer authentication, use the same configurations and parameters.

• Validate and Save:

• • Click Validate to verify the connection details.
  • Click Save to store the integration. The saved details will be displayed under the JIRA tab.

• • After the integration is saved, metadata from the JIRA server will be fetched.
  • Map the Service Desk Template fields with corresponding JIRA fields.
  • Add the mapped fields to approval workflows as needed.

Mapping Fields

Mapping JIRA Fields with Service Desk Template Fields in OvalEdge

The mapping process in OvalEdge creates a link between JIRA fields and the fields in the Service Desk Template within OvalEdge. This allows service requests raised in OvalEdge to be pushed to JIRA, ensuring consistency between both systems. Depending on the use case, the mapping can be one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-one.

Steps to Map JIRA Fields with Service Desk Template Fields:

Step 1: Access Service Desk Templates

1. Navigate to Service Desk Templates:
2. Go to Administration > Service Desk Templates in OvalEdge.
   
3. Click on the template name for which you want to configure the field mapping. This opens the template page displaying Template Details, Template Fields, and Fulfillment Mode details.
   

Step 2: Open Integration Settings

1. Click on the Integrations Button:
   • On the template page, click the Integrations button in the top right corner. This opens the Add Integration window.

Step 3: Configure Integration Details

1. Enter Integration Name:
   • In the Integration Name field, enter the name of the integration (e.g., "JIRA Integration for IT Requests").`
2. Enter Description:
   • In the Description field, briefly explain the integration (e.g., "Maps IT support tickets from OvalEdge to JIRA for tracking and resolution").
3. Select Integration System:
   • From the Integration System dropdown, select JIRA. Other available options might include ServiceNow and Azure DevOps.
4. Select Integration Project Mapping: 
   • Select the relevant project in JIRA to which the integration should be linked. 
5. Select the Issue Type Specification: 
   • Specify the type of issue associated with the integration within JIRA, such as Task, Bug, Gap, Feature, etc..

Step 4: Define Statuses

1. Approved Statuses:
   • In the Approved Statuses field, specify the statuses that signify approval (e.g., Approved).
2. Rejected Statuses:
   • In the Rejected Statuses field, specify the statuses that signify rejection (e.g., Rejected).

Step 5: Map Fields Between OvalEdge and JIRA

1. Select Service Desk Template Fields:
   • From the dropdown in the Mapper Fields section, select fields from the Service Desk Template. These are the fields defined in the OvalEdge template (e.g., Priority, Request Type).
     
     

     Example: If you want to map the "Priority" field in OvalEdge to the JIRA field, select Priority from the dropdown.

2. Include Name Option:
   • Select the Include Name checkbox if you want to use the selected Service Desk field as a label in JIRA.
     
     Example: If the OvalEdge field Priority is mapped to the JIRA field Ticket Type, and Include Name is checked, it will appear in JIRA as Priority: High.
3. Select JIRA Fields:
   • From the dropdown, select the corresponding JIRA fields that should be mapped (e.g., Ticket Type, Request Priority).
     
     Example: If you are mapping the Priority field in OvalEdge to the Ticket Type field in JIRA, select Ticket Type.

Step 6: Add Mappings

1. Click on Add Mapping:
   • Once you've selected both the Service Desk Template and JIRA fields, click Add Mapping. This establishes the connection between the two fields.
2. You can map:
   • One Service Desk field to One JIRA field.
   • One Service Desk field to Multiple JIRA fields.
   • Multiple Service Desk fields to One JIRA field.

Step 7: Save the Mapping

1. Verify and Save:
   • Review the field mappings to ensure accuracy.
   • Click Save to save the integration and mapping details. These will now be displayed under the Integration section of the template.

Step 8: Manage Integration Settings

1. Edit, Inactivate, or Delete Integration:
   • After saving, you can inactivate or delete the integration if needed.

Example of Field Mapping:

• Service Desk Field: Priority (e.g., High, Medium, Low)
• Mapped JIRA Field:  Priority
• Result in JIRA: If the Priority is selected as High in the Service Request of that template, the corresponding JIRA ticket will have the Priority field as High.

Configuring Workflows

Configuring Workflows for JIRA in Service Desk Templates

Workflows in Service Desk Templates allow specifying approvers for service requests. You can either create a new workflow or use an existing one. JIRA and other external tools like Azure DevOps can be integrated into the workflow. These external tools can function either as approvers for service requests or simply as tools to track the requests from OvalEdge.

JIRA in Workflows:

• JIRA as Approver: The service request will not progress until approved.
• JIRA for Ticket Tracking: The service request information is captured in JIRA, but the request proceeds independently without waiting for approval.

Steps to Configure JIRA for Approvals or Ticket Tracking:

Step 1: Access the Template Workflow

1. Navigate to Service Desk Templates:
   • Go to Administration > Service Desk Templates.
   • Select the template where the JIRA integration has been added.
2. Edit the Associated Workflow:
   • Under the Associated Workflow section, click on the Edit icon.
   • A pop-up window with the workflow configuration will appear.

Step 2: Configure JIRA as an Approver

1. Add JIRA as an Approver:
   • In the Associated Workflow pop-up, go to the Actors section.
   • Set the Action field to Approve in JIRA. This ensures that the service request will not progress until approved.
   • Once you select Approve in JIRA, the Status field will automatically be populated based on the action you selected.
2. Select Approvers:
   • In the Actor dropdown, choose the approver:
   • Select a User or a Governance Role from the dropdown (e.g., Data Steward, Custodian). The administrator can assign specific users or governance roles to approve the service requests.
3. Select SLA:
   • Choose the appropriate Service Level Agreement (SLA) from the dropdown, defining the timeframe for approval.
4. Map JIRA:
   • In the Mapper dropdown, select JIRA. This links the service request to the JIRA system for approval.
5. Save the Configuration:
   • After entering all the details, click Save. JIRA is now set as the approver for all service requests raised in OvalEdge. The requests will not proceed until the selected approver approves them.

Alternate Step: Configure JIRA for Ticket Tracking Only

1. Track Service Requests in JIRA:
   • If you only want to track the service request in JIRA without requiring approval.
   • In the Track Ticket Via dropdown, select JIRA.
2. Save the Configuration:
   • After entering the required information, click Save. The service requests raised in OvalEdge will be tracked in JIRA, but there will be no dependency on JIRA for the request to proceed.

Verifying the JIRA Integration in OvalEdge

This process ensures that the JIRA integration in OvalEdge is functioning correctly by verifying:

1. Automatic Ticket Creation in JIRA – When a service request is raised in OvalEdge, a corresponding ticket should be created in JIRA.
2. Status Synchronization – When the status of a JIRA ticket is updated, the corresponding service request status in OvalEdge should reflect the exact change.

Step#1: Raise a Service Request in OvalEdge

1. Log in to OvalEdge and navigate to the Data Catalog module.
2. Locate and select the data object (e.g., a table column) for which a service request needs to be created. Example: Table Column – Customer ID
3. Click on the selected data object to open its summary page.
4. Click on the Nine Dots Menu and select Raise a Service Request.
5. The Service Request page is displayed.
6. Enter the required information in the service request form, including:
   • Request Title – Provide a clear title for the request.
   • Description – Add details explaining the purpose of the request.
   • Priority Level – Set the urgency of the request (High, Medium, Low).
   • Request Type – Specify the type of request (e.g., access request, metadata update).
7. Click Save to create the service request in OvalEdge.

Step#2: Verify JIRA Ticket Creation

1. After the service request is created, navigate to the Service Requests module in OvalEdge.
2. Open the newly created Service Request ID to review the details.
3. Update the status of the service request to Verify.
4. Check if a corresponding JIRA ticket has been automatically created.
   • The JIRA ticket ID should be displayed in the service request details.
   • Navigate to JIRA and verify that the ticket exists under the specified JIRA project.

Step#3: Verify Status Synchronization

1. In JIRA, locate the ticket created from the OvalEdge service request.
2. Change the ticket status from To Do to In Progress.
3. Navigate back to OvalEdge and check the service request status.
4. Confirm that the status change in JIRA is reflected in the OvalEdge Service Desk for the corresponding service request.

Outcome:

• A JIRA ticket is automatically created when a service request is raised in OvalEdge.
• Status changes in JIRA are synchronized with the corresponding service request in OvalEdge.
• The integration ensures seamless tracking and approval workflows between OvalEdge and JIRA.

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