Creating Jira Tables: User Guide & Tips

Jira is brimming with powerful data, often hidden inside Jira issues. Trying to explain, display, or share this data through a long list or by hopping between multiple tickets or databases can feel challenging. We ease the cognitive load and help our brains understand high volumes of data through visual tables. 

Tables make it far easier to digest complex information at first glance. They also help us mentally categorize data and draw rapid comparisons between values. 

Jira offers a couple of quick tools to help you build a simple table. But, there are limits. When you need to connect with other issues or import dynamic info from external systems, Jira users turn to handy plugins from the Atlassian Marketplace. 

Here, we’ll start with how to build a Jira table. Then, we’ll show you how to supercharge your table with easy-to-use apps like Power Database Fields Pro. 

How to manually create a basic table in Jira

Creating a table in a Jira issue is a simple task. 

To create the cells for your table, use the “pipe” or vertical bar character (|). Enclose the headings for your table’s columns in double vertical bars (||).(“ || ”)  Here’s how you can mix the two to create a simple 3×4 grid.

||heading 1||heading 2||heading 3||heading 4||

|col 1 row 1|col 2 row 1|col 3 row 1|col 4 row 1|

|col 1 row 2|col 2 row 2|col 3 row 2|col 4 row 2|

|col 1 row 3|col 2 row 3|col 3 row 3|col 4 row 3|

And that is it! Creating a table in a Jira issue takes just a few moments. But as you can see, it’s a highly labor-intensive and error-prone method if you’re working with more complex data. 

Feeding information like inventory levels or customer service ticket details could take hours or days. Let’s see how Power Database Fields Pro can help you make even more powerful Jira tables. 

Top-rated Jira table tool: Power Database Fields PRO

Power Database Fields PRO helps E-commerce stores process high-volume orders, healthcare centers manage critical patient information, and support teams simplify their Jira Service Desk processes with ease and confidence. 

Using Power Database Fields PRO, you can efficiently import data from an external database to a custom database field in your Jira instance. This helps you:

• Eliminate time-consuming and error-prone manual entry tasks by automatically importing data from external sources right into your Jira instance. 
• Display information from external data sources like product inventory levels.
• Use cascading selections and Jira autocomplete textboxes to populate custom fields with remote data sources like the Structured Query Language database.
• Add supporting data in the form of a table to a Jira comment.
• Compile customer ticket information like date, version number, and error code into a quick-view format. 
• Index database fields in Jira so you can run reports on the data sets.

Let’s dive into how it’s done:

After a few preparation steps to configure Power Database Fields PRO, you can configure the data table custom field. Here’s how.

• Log into Jira as Admin
• Go to Administration > Add-ons > DataTable Custom Field page.
• Configure the parameters on this page
  • Thread Local Caching:  The recommended setting for this field is “false.”
  • Custom Field: Select the necessary custom field of data table information type.

• After completing the above steps, perform Jira database configuration:
  • Data Source: Select the Data Source: SIL or database.
    • If you selected “Database”:
      • Provide JNDI name
      • Provide SQL Query
    • If you picked “SIL” for the Data Source field: 
      • Type the script in the SIL script editor. Verify your Syntax using the “Check” button.

• Click Save.

Done! This is how you perform the data table configuration using Power Database Fields PRO. 

See? Getting Started With Jira Tables is Easy!

Creating basic tables is pretty easy in Jira, but once the approach becomes complex, it requires third-party apps like Power Database Fields PRO. By combining the strengths of Jira and the advanced table grid structure, you can get exactly what you need out of Jira tables.

If you have any questions, contact the Anova Apps Products team at products@anovaapps.com, or please visit the Jira Service Desk to request support, report a bug, or suggest a feature.