Connect to Jira Service Management Data in Claris FileMaker Pro

Claris FileMaker is a low-code database application development tool that allows users to create custom apps for managing and organizing data. It combines a powerful relational database engine with an intuitive interface, enabling both technical and non-technical users to design and deploy applications across desktop, web, and mobile platforms.

In this article, we'll explore how to use the CData ODBC Driver for Jira Service Management in FileMaker to connect to Jira Service Management data.

Create an ODBC Data Source for Jira Service Management

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

You can establish a connection to any Jira Service Desk Cloud account or Server instance.

Connecting with a Cloud Account

To connect to a Cloud account, you'll first need to retrieve an APIToken. To generate one, log in to your Atlassian account and navigate to API tokens > Create API token. The generated token will be displayed.

Supply the following to connect to data:

• User: Set this to the username of the authenticating user.
• APIToken: Set this to the API token found previously.

Connecting with a Service Account

To authenticate with a service account, supply the following connection properties:

• User: Set this to the username of the authenticating user.
• Password: Set this to the password of the authenticating user.
• URL: Set this to the URL associated with your JIRA Service Desk endpoint. For example, https://yoursitename.atlassian.net.

Note: Password has been deprecated for connecting to a Cloud Account and is now used only to connect to a Server Instance.

Accessing Custom Fields

By default, the connector only surfaces system fields. To access the custom fields for Issues, set IncludeCustomFields.

When you configure the DSN, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

Connect and sync Jira Service Management data with FileMaker using the CData ODBC Driver for Jira Service Management

Once you configure the CData ODBC Driver for Jira Service Management, you can connect to live Jira Service Management data in FileMaker and use it in your applications. In this section, we'll walk through the steps to connect live Jira Service Management data to FileMaker.

You can download and install the latest version of FileMaker Pro for your Mac/Windows/Linux systems here: https://www.claris.com/resources/downloads/.

Importing Jira Service Management data using FileMaker's ODBC Import Function

Follow the steps below to easily import Jira Service Management data using the ODBC import feature:

1. Open FileMaker Pro. Navigate to Create from the left panel and select Blank > Create.
👁 Create a new application in FileMaker

2. Enter a desired filename and click Save.
3. In the Manage Database window, go to the Tables tab and create or rename the table where you want to display Jira Service Management data.
👁 Create or edit a table.

4. In the Fields tab, add the required fields to the table.
👁 Create the fields for the table.

5. In the Relationships tab, define table relationships if your database has multiple tables, then click OK.
6. To reopen and modify the table structure later, go to File > Manage > Database.
7. To import Jira Service Management data via the CData ODBC Driver for Jira Service Management, navigate to File > Import Records > ODBC Data Source.
👁 Select ODBC Data Source from Import Records.

8. In the Select ODBC Data Source window, choose CData ODBC Driver for Jira Service Management and click Create. Enter your Jira Service Management username and password, then click OK.
👁 Select CData JiraServiceDesk Sys.
👁 Enter the Jira Service Management username and password.

9. In the SQL Query Builder window, select the desired table from the Tables section and choose the relevant columns from the Columns section. Click Insert into SQL Query after each selection to automatically generate a query that retrieves data from Jira Service Management. You can also manually edit the query using WHERE and ORDER BY clauses or use the tabs provided in the SQL Query Builder. Click Execute to run the query.
👁 Choose the columns to generate the SQL Query.

10. In the Specify Import Order window, define the import order for the target fields. Select Add between source and target to add new records to the target table from the selected fields. Click Import.
👁 Specify the import order.

You have now successfully imported Jira Service Management data into FileMaker Pro using the CData ODBC Driver for Jira Service Management. To perform incremental updates, change the import order to "Update" or use "Replace" based on your use case.

Process Jira Service Management data at design time

You can sort and aggregate data, as well as calculate summary functions while browsing tables. To manipulate the view of data at design time, complete the following steps:

• Switch to Preview Mode: Click the Preview at the top to check how the Jira Service Management data with look before you print it.
• Switch to Table View: Click the table icon in the View As menu in the main toolbar of the application.

👁 The Jira Service Management data is displayed in FileMaker Pro.

Aggregate and summarize

Follow the steps below to group column values and display summaries, as shown in the screenshot:

• Sort: Click the arrow in the NumberOfEmployees column header and choose Sort Ascending from the menu.
• Group: In the same menu, click Add Trailing Group by Industry to group the values and insert a summary row. Alternatively, click Add Leading Group to add a summary row at the beginning.
• Summarize: Select a summary option from the Trailing Subtotals menu for a grouped column.

👁 Select the Trailing Subtotals.

Create a bar chart

Use the following steps to create a simple bar chart showing the total NumberOfEmployees for each Industry:

1. Click the arrow in the NumberOfEmployees column header and select Chart by NumberOfEmployees.
   • If you've already grouped the table by a column (e.g., Industry), you can chart NumberOfEmployees by that column.
   👁 Create the chart from Jira Service Management data.
   
2. In the Chart Setup window:
   • Click the button next to the Data box to add the x-axis column.
   • Choose the appropriate column in the dialog that appears.
   • For the y-axis, select a summary option from the Summary menu.

👁 The chart is displayed based on the inputs given.

Get Started Today

Download a free 30-day trial of the CData ODBC Driver for Jira Service Management to integrate Jira Service Management data into Claris FileMaker and work with Jira Service Management data in your FileMaker applications.

Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.