Data Center Migration FAQ

Atlassian has officially announced major changes to its product strategy, including the end of new Jira Data Center license sales as of March 30, 2026, and a long-term plan where Data Center instances will eventually become read-only by March 28, 2029.

Migrating to Jira Cloud ensures that your team continues to receive updates, security improvements, and full product support.

To better understand Atlassian’s cloud strategy and timelines, read more here:
👉 https://www.atlassian.com/migration/journey-to-cloud

Yes. Smart Forms data is migrated alongside Jira data using the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant (JCMA), as long as the app supports migration and is properly configured.
For a detailed explanation of how migration works and what is included, read Atlassian’s guide:
👉 https://support.atlassian.com/migration/docs/cloud-migration-methods-for-jira/

Yes, this is required. The app must be installed and active on your Jira Cloud instance before starting migration. Otherwise, JCMA will not transfer any Smart Forms data.
To see the exact setup steps, read our full guide:
👉 https://help.saasjet.com/sfdc/migrating-smart-forms-from-jira-data-center-to-jir

Smart Forms restrictions and mappings may not work correctly if users, groups, projects, or fields do not already exist in Cloud. That’s why Jira core data should be migrated before app data.

Yes. Smart Forms remain linked to their corresponding Jira issues after migration when the related Jira project data is migrated correctly. The migration process preserves issue associations and form configuration to maintain continuity in Jira Cloud.

Yes. Jira Cloud Migration Assistant allows administrators to choose specific Jira projects for migration instead of migrating the entire instance. Smart Forms related to the selected projects will be migrated together with the project data.

Smart Forms depends on core Jira entities such as issues, users, statuses, priorities, and custom fields. If any of these are missing, history logs may appear incomplete or incorrect.
For more details on what Jira data is migrated, see:
👉 https://support.atlassian.com/migration/docs/what-gets-migrated-with-the-jira-cloud-migration-assistant/

No. Migration adds data to your Cloud instance without overwriting existing data. However, running multiple migrations without proper checks may create duplicates.

Yes. If migration fails or some data is missing, you can re-run it within a limited timeframe. It is recommended to review logs and resolve issues before retrying.
More about managing migrations:
👉 https://support.atlassian.com/migration/docs/manage-and-view-the-details-of-jira-migration-plans/

Migration time depends on the number of Jira projects, forms, and overall instance size. Small migrations may take only a few minutes, while larger environments with complex configurations can require several hours. We recommends running a test migration first to better estimate the required migration time.

Yes. Administrator access is required on both Jira Data Center and Jira Cloud to configure and run migration.

Before migration, make sure to:

• Install Smart Forms on Cloud

• Include all required Jira data

• Run pre-migration checks

• Validate users and projects

For a complete step-by-step guide, read:
👉 https://help.saasjet.com/sfdc/migrating-smart-forms-from-jira-data-center-to-jir

After migration, review several migrated forms in Jira Cloud to confirm that fields, layouts, and conditional logic work correctly. You should also verify permissions, restrictions, and form visibility for different user roles. We additionally recommends testing form submissions to ensure forms function properly in the Cloud environment.

Common issues include:

• Missing users or invalid accounts

• Skipped projects or incomplete scope

• App not installed on Cloud

• Partial data migration

Following best practices can help you avoid these problems.
👉 Atlassian migration overview: https://www.atlassian.com/migration/journey-to-cloud

User and group mappings are stored for a limited time (14 days). If this period expires, you need to re-migrate users to correctly restore Smart Forms data and associations.