Good practices to import and export issues

The import and export feature in RTM (Requirements and Test Management for Jira) is more than just a technical tool — it offers meaningful support for the daily work of QA, analysis, and project teams. This feature helps you:

• Migrate data from other test management tools.
• Collaborate with clients who don’t use Jira.
• Process Test Cases and Requirements in bulk — with less clicking and lower risk of errors.

In this article, you’ll find three practical use cases demonstrating how to use RTM’s import/export feature effectively, along with tips and common challenges to avoid.

To learn more about this feature, see Import/Export issues.

Migrate issues from another test management tool

Who’s involved

Teams moving to RTM from tools like Excel, TestRail, Zephyr, Xray, or similar, and looking to migrate existing Test Cases or Requirements.

How it works?

To migrate your data, use CSV files. Your data should include:

• For Test Cases: Summary, Description, Steps, Expected Result
• For Requirements: Summary, Description, etc.

To import/export issues

1. Go to the Test Cases or Requirements module.
2. Open the tree view menu (three-dot menu in the top-right corner).
3. Click Import issues (CSV).
4. Choose the target folder, file encoding, and upload your CSV file.
5. Map CSV columns to RTM fields.

Collaborate with clients without Jira access

Who’s involved

Teams working with clients or stakeholders who don’t have access to Jira - for example, during test reviews or approvals.

How it works?

RTM allows you to export data to CSV or PDF. If the client makes changes on their end, you can import them back into Jira using the Update issues (CSV) option - no need for manual editing.

To share data with your client

1. Select the Test Cases or Requirements you want to share.
2. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
3. Click Export to CSV.
4. Choose your delimiter.
5. Optionally, enable export attachments if needed.
6. Send the file to your client.

When the client sends back changes

Go to Test Cases or Requirements, open the tree view menu, and choose Update Issue (CSV) to apply changes to existing items.

Additional export options:

• Export Test Cases and Test Executions with current statuses to PDF (for example, for audits).
• Export reports (for example Traceability, Coverage, Test Executions) to CSV or PDF.

Import large number of issues

Who’s involved

Teams importing hundreds or thousands of items into RTM - for example, when starting a new project or migrating historical data.

How it works?

1. Create your folder structure in RTM (manually or via JSON import).
2. Prepare your CSV files.
3. Import the data in smaller batches (for example, 100–200 items at a time).

FAQ

1. Inconsistent test steps and expected results.

Challenge: If only one step includes an Expected result (for example, Step 4), the structure changes.

Solution: Always fill in the Expected result field for every step - even with a placeholder like ‘-’.

2. Incorrect numbering of steps

Challenge: All steps appear in one cell after import, or step numbers are missing.

Solutions:

• Use one row per test step.
• Avoid merging steps in a single cell.
• Use separate columns for Input and Expected result.

3. Excel-to-CSV conversion issues

Challenge: The formatting is incorrect or CSV file must be saved manually from Excel.

Solutions:

• Save the file as CSV UTF-8.
• Avoid merged cells, comments, and colored formatting.

4. UI limitations when moving items

Challenge: The interface only allows moving 25 items at once.

Solutions:

• Use CSV import for larger batches.
• Export and import again the data into a new location.