Azure Sync for Jira Assets : User Documentation 📝

Welcome to Azure Sync for Jira Assets User Documentation

Begin your journey to streamline your asset management between Azure and Jira Service Management. This powerful integration syncs Azure resources seamlessly into your Jira environment, enhancing your asset tracking capabilities.

Your Assets, Your Way

For any questions or assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at support@sykorait.com. 🤙

Your Sykora IT Team.

Getting Started

To make it happen, simply install Azure Sync for Jira Assets on your Atlassian platform by following these simple steps:

• Search for application Azure Sync for Jira Assets in the Atlassian Marketplace.

• Install Azure Sync for Jira Assets into your Jira Software Cloud environment.

  • Ensure you have both Jira and Assets installed and ready to roll

First steps after installation

• Configure the Azure Sync for Jira Assets app

  • Preparing Azure Connection Details

  • Configuring the Azure Sync for Jira Assets App import

Configuration

Preparing Azure Connection Details

Get your Directory Tenant ID (Microsoft Entra ID)

• In your Azure portal, select All services > Microsoft Entra ID

• Scroll down the left bar to Manage, open the Properties and search for Tenant ID

• Save the Directory Tenant ID for future reference for usage in the import configuration

   

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Get your Subscription ID

• In your Azure portal, search for Subscriptions

• Select the Subscription you would like to synchronize the Azure (Assets) data from

• Save the Subscription ID Id for future reference for usage in the import configuration

   

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Register Access Application

You need to register an Application that will be used for the API-Gateway.

• In your Azure portal, select All services > Microsoft Entra ID

• Under the “Add” tab, click on App registration (or in the left bar open App registrations and Select New registration)

• Pick a name for your application. You can use something like "asset-azure-sync" as inspiration

• Leave other settings at default values

• Create the App registration

• Save the Application (client) ID for future reference for usage in the import configuration

Create Application Secret Key

• Go to the settings of the previous created application.

• Scroll down to Manage and Select Certificates & secrets

• Click New client secret

• Type description for the Key, choose an expiration and Add it

• Save the Key-Value for future reference for usage in the import configuration

Assign Application Role assignment

In your Azure portal, search for Subscriptions

• Select your subscription

• Select Access control (IAM) and click on the Role assignments tab

• Click Add (you need to have proper permission)

• Choose Role = Reader and search at the select for the Application name that you have created in steps above

Check Required Permissions

• Go to the settings of the previous created application (Microsoft Entra ID → App registration)

• Select API permissions (left bar)

• make sure that the chosen permission User.Read is visible

(Optional) The following steps are required for the app to fetch Azure Entra ID data (users, groups)

•  On the search bar, search for App registrations. Select the App registration that you have created

• Click API permissions and Add a permission

• Select "Microsoft Graph"

• Select "Application permissions"

• Select and add User and check "User.Read.All", (recommended option)

  • If you only select lower permission “User.ReadBasic.All” user atributes will not be fully imported

• Select following API permissions:

  • "Group.Read.All" or least privilege “GroupMember.Read.All“

• Click "Grant admin consent for “your specific subscription”.  

Configuring the “Azure Sync for Jira Assets” App import

To import Azure data into Assets you will need all the data you have gathered in the steps above. Navigate to the Import section in the object schema configuration, click “Create import” and select Azure Sync for Jira Assets.

After creating an import, it will be in “NOT CONFIGURED” state. You will first need to provide your Azure Connection Details to execute it. Click on the “three dots” and then “Configure app” to open configuration modal.

Connection configuration

Fill the necessary fields and click “Save configuration”. When you save configuration for the first time, the asset schema & mapping will be generated. This may take a while (by our testing 20 seconds to 2 minutes) so please be patient.
Also you should test the connection using the test connection button before proceeding to further tasks. You can also open the schema tree, and see the (empty) structure of Asset Object Types generated under the Root Object Type.

Azure Connection parameters:

• Root object type name

  • Specify the name of the object type where the imported data will be stored.

    • Note : Select the unique name for the root object type. If the object type already exists, it may cause issues due to the Atlassian limitations.

• Subscription ID

  • Note : Multiple subscriptions may be imported depending on the Azure Access Application's authorization setup; however, only resources registered under the specified subscription will be imported.

• Application (Client) ID

• Application (Client) Secret Key

Advanced settings

On separate tab you can modify import parameters not critical for import execution.

Scheduler:

• Off

• Once a day

Using the scheduler, you can automate imports. When enabled, the import will run automatically once a day, starting approximately 24 hours after the configuration is saved. Or you can take control with manual synchronization for precise adjustments on demand. Scheduler is off by default.

Import options:

• Include hidden tags - hidden tags are special tags that are not displayed in Azure Resource view with “hidden-” prefix in tag name. You can toggle import of these here. Defaults to false.

Object Types Update

The Configuration modal includes an "Object Types Update" tab. When you deploy a new version of the app, it may support additional Object Types or Object Type Attributes. These changes are part of the new schema and mapping.

If you have imports created with older schemas and mappings, you will need to update them to use the new changes.

On this tab, you can:

• See which Object Types or Object Type Attributes have been added, removed, or updated.

• Run the schema and mapping update to apply these changes.

Performing the Import

Once you have configured your settings correctly, you should be ready to perform the import process effortlessly. Before the first execution, configured import will be in state “READY TO RUN” and “Import data” button will appear. To start the import manually, simply click on the button.

The import will execute, fetching the Azure resources and creating Asset Objects.

After the execution finishes, you can click on 'Read details' to see what was imported.

Finally, you can open the schema tree and browse through your imported Azure Resource Assets.

Imported Azure Data Types in Assets

Discover the list of Azure resources now available in Azure Sync for Jira Assets by visiting our Resource Sync Feedback Hub. We'd love to hear your thoughts on what other resources you'd like to see added, so feel free to join the conversation and help us shape future updates!

Missing / deleted values

During the import process, if an asset object in Jira corresponds to an object that is no longer present in Azure, the user can decide how to handle this discrepancy. The user has three options:

• Ignore it and keep the asset in Jira.

• Delete the corresponding asset in Jira.

• Update some parameters of the asset in Jira.

These actions can be configured individually for each object type in the "Edit Object Type Mapping" modal, similar to the setup for other Atlassian asset imports.

Data Residency

Azure Sync for Jira Assets, built on the Forge platform, offers you the advantage of data residency control. With the latest Forge capabilities integrated, you can securely store your Azure connection data with confidence. This empowers you to align with your organization's data governance policies and ensures compliance with regional regulations. Your data remains safe and accessible, giving you peace of mind while using our app.

Known Limitations

Troubleshooting

Assets - Azure Integration requires both Jira and Assets to function. Also make sure all the specific permission in your Azure environment was set right.

Licence expiration

You might encounter an error (2) when starting the import (1). The first thing to check is whether your license is active, as it is the most common reason. The quickest way to verify this is in the import configuration dialog (3), where a message should appear in such case.

Multiple subscription import

In the current version, one import instance can only import resources registered under the specified subscription.

• To import asset data from multiple subscriptions, you need to create separate importer instances with distinct configurations for each subscription (or modify the existing one).

• To make the import functional for another subscription, it is necessary to update not only the Subscription ID but also make sure to set correct Application (Client) ID with its Application Secret Key to grant access to subscription resources.

Schema updates

Sometimes it may appear that schema&mapping update (on update tab) is taking too long. The operation might take longer in extreme cases because a retry event is performed there.

Feedback and Support

Your invaluable feedback fuels the evolution of Azure Sync for Jira Assets. Share your insights, and together, we'll cultivate a more refined and impactful user experience! 📊🌱

Our channels are always open to hear from you! If you encounter any challenges or have questions about Azure Sync for Jira Assets, don't hesitate to reach out to us at our email: support@sykorait.com or via a ticket on our portal: https://support.sykorait.com. 📧