When searching for issues in Jira, you can find exactly what you’re looking for with the versatile Jira Query Language, or JQL.
Effectively searching your jql instance can literally save you hours of time.
Power users who use Jira on a daily basis may already be familiar with the query language.
Can be extremely beneficial to other team members.
Non-technical Jira users frequently neglect to utilize JQL to its full potential. Operators and keywords may frighten employees who aren’t as familiar with technology. Jira was definitely new to me when I first started using it!
However, the design of this tool was intended to be universally usable. Even non-technical users can get the hang of it if shown correctly. For instance, you can simply type “r:” or “my” into the search bar to locate all issues assigned to you.me” to find out everything you said was wrong. And this is just the start!
In this guide, we’ll go over all the fundamental ideas you need to know to be an expert Jira searcher and master JQL.
What’s JQL?
The Jira Query Language, or JQL, is one of Jira’s best tools.
The following data are used by the system to filter issues: And, as a result, makes it easier to find what you’re looking for:
Keywords, Operators, Values, Fields, and Functions For instance, if you wanted to find all unplanned issues, you could look for issues with status fields that are not closed and empty fields for epic links and fix versions.
Or, suppose you needed to determine whether there are scope issues with your project. You could limit your search to issues that were previously assigned to a different sprint but have not yet been completed. This would let you know how many problems could not be fixed because they were beyond the scope of the previous sprint.
JQL searches run 33% faster than Jira 7.12 searches.
Overview of the Jira Query Language Interface In the dropdown menu under “Issues,” select “Search for Issues.”
The Jira Query Language Interface search screen will open up as a result of this. The basic search tool is opened by default on this screen, and it can be used to filter issues based on predefined fields like:
Status Assignee Project Contains Text The “Advanced” option is located immediately adjacent to the filters:
Here, you’ll have access to Jira JQL.
Jira’s Basic and Advanced Search Options Basic searches are useful up to a point. They are quick to fill out and easy to use.
However, as the existing forms limit you, you will quickly reach their limits.
When you use Advanced Searching, you’ll have to come up with your own JQL queries.
How to Break Down a JQL Query A JQL query is a set of words and operators that tell Jira how far down it will go in your search.
You already have the queries for basic searches created for you. However, using them in JQL will necessitate starting from scratch.
Every query is made up of keywords, fields, operators, and values.
A field is a piece of information in the Jira Query Language that describes problems. These fields are filled in when you perform basic searches.
Some examples of fields in Jira are:
Issue type Project priority Fix version Epic tag The documentation of Jira includes a list of all fields.
The Jira Query Language refers to the data points in your queries as values.
They basically meet your needs in your respective fields.
For instance, the Priority field might have one of the following values:
The mathematical signs equals (=) and doesn’t equal (!) are operators in the Jira Query Language..=), less than or equal to (=), greater than (>), etc.
They talk about how your value and your field are related.
For example:
Operators in JQL In the previous search, you were looking for issues with the Epic Name (field) and value that are identical to the operator “Audio Development.”
Another powerful operator is “CONTAINS,” which enables you to query custom fields as well as the Environment, Comments, Summary, and Description fields using the “Free Text Searcher.”
“WAS,” on the other hand, lets you call up anything that was previously linked to a specific state but is no longer, like:
Keywords in the Jira Query Language Keywords make up the JQL language.
Each keyword, like “AND” and “OR,” has a specific meaning that further narrows the search.
Issues that satisfy both of your search conditions will be returned when you type “AND” into your query.
For instance, this search will return all issues with a high current priority and a status of “To Do”:
JQL keywords On the other hand, the operator “OR” will return any issues that meet either of your conditions.
The same results as above would be obtained using an “OR” keyword:
all issues that have a high priority, a status of “To Do,” or both of these conditions.
A Manual for JQL: Let’s take a look at a JQL example in Jira now that you are familiar with the fundamentals.
A search bar without pre-made filters will appear.
When you begin typing your query, Jira will indicate whether it is valid with a green checkmark on the left. Your search is invalid if you see a red X:
JQL Tutorial If you need help referencing the syntax, you can always click the question mark to the right of the search box.
It is extremely helpful that Jira JQL will auto-suggest as you type. This way, you can get it right even if you don’t know the syntax by heart.
Let’s say, for instance, that we begin our query by searching the “Priority” field. You can type “Priority” into the search box. In addition, JQL will automatically recommend the following action: an employee example from the JQL Tutorial You can then build your JQL query by clicking on one of the operators that are suggested.
In this example, let’s say we want to find all issues that are urgent but have not been resolved within a specific Epic link. This is an example of using AND in the Jira Query Language.
Your query would look like this:
This time, let’s use “OR” to run the same query:
JQL with OR Other than the addition of the “OR” keyword and a query for issues with a high priority, the rest of the query stays the same.
Precedence in JQL, however, is that “AND” comes first when you use both “AND” and “OR” keywords. This means that if two clauses are connected by “AND,” they will be treated as a single unit and grouped together. On the other hand, if two clauses are connected by “OR,” they will be treated as separate units. That means:
In contrast, if you run:
Jira JQL Functions for advanced searches: With fields, values, operators, and keywords, you can do a lot. However, if you want to easily access complex logic, functions are required.
A pre-made command that can be added to a query to return a particular set of values is known as a function.
Fields or values enclosed in parentheses after a word.
For instance, the linkedIssues() function could be used to locate all issues that are connected to one another:
JQL functions for more sophisticated searches The value in parentheses represents the topic for which links are sought.
It is not necessary for each JQL function to have a value in the parentheses. For instance, you would type in the following to see which issues are associated with a completed sprint:
sprint, in closedSprints();
The functions of Jira JQL are especially effective when combined with the other JQL components.
