Pivot Report

Using the Issue Navigator

This article explains how to create a report using the app button in Jira’s Issue Navigator. You can create a report from either an unsaved query or a saved filter.

This method is ideal when you need to create a report with a well-defined scope by precisely including or excluding parent, sibling, and child items from different work item groups.

Features and uses cases

Extend the results of the search query
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When you create a report using the Issue Navigator, the Pivot Report Options pop-up appears. It allows you to extend the report to include parent and child items. For more details on these relationships, refer to the related Atlassian article.

Parent work item options

  • Extend with parent work items: Enable this option to include the parent of each work item in the Issue Navigator results. For example, if your results include Stories, this option adds their parent Epics to the report.

  • Add sibling work items as well: Enable this option to include work items that share the same parent. For example, if your results include Stories, this adds other work items under the same Epics, such as additional stories and their sub-tasks.

  • Use sibling work items in estimates only: Enable this option to include sibling values in rollup fields without adding the work items to the report. Rollup fields—such as ∑ Original Estimate, ∑ Time Spent, and ∑ Remaining Estimate—will include values from sibling work items. For example, Epic-level totals will include estimates from all related work items.

Child item options

  • Extend with child items: Enable this option to include child items for each item in the Issue Navigator results. For example, if your results include Stories, this adds their sub-tasks to the report.

  • Use child items in estimates only: Enable this option to include child items values in rollup fields without adding the work itemsto the report. For example, Story-level totals will include estimates from sub-tasks.

Modify a report’s source after its creation

If you need to further filter the extended contents or change the report source, follow the steps in the related article.

How can you use a query to create a report?

Any logged-in Jira user with access to the Pivot Report app and an unsaved search query in Issue Navigator can:

  • Export query results to Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets using Jira’s built-in add-ons.

  • Create a report using Pivot Report.

The screenshots below shows how one click in the Issue Navigator lets you customize the work items included and create a report.

  1. From Jira’s sidebar, open the ‘Filters’ list and click Search work items to access Jira’s Issue Navigator.

Alternatively, you can also select a saved query (Filter).

  1. Create your search query within the Issue Navigator. You can use either Basic or advanced JQL search modes. The screenshot below shows the JQL mode.

  2. Click the Apps menu and select Pivot Report.

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  1. In the Pivot Report Options pop-up, choose whether to extend results with parent work items. In the screenshot below, this option is disabled.

  2. You can also choose to extend results with child items. In the screenshot below, this option is enabled.

  3. Click Submit to create the report.

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FAQ

What is the report's name and description when using this method?
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By default, when you create a report in the Issue Navigator:

  1. Report name – If you use a saved filter, the report’s name matches the filter name. If you use an unsaved search query, the report is named Custom Search. Until the report is saved, its name remains a hyperlink to the search query in the Issue Navigator.

  2. Description – The report description shows whether Parent, Sibling, and Child items are included, based on the selections in the ‘Pivot Report Options’ pop-up.

  3. Tabs included – All tabs are available by default: Work item Structure, Pivot, Charts, Worklogs/Comments, Capacity, and Warnings.

To rename the report, update its description, adjust its scope (e.g. remove Parent or Sibling work items), or add more tabs, first save the report, then use the Sidebar to make changes.

Can you create a report on the demo site?

Yes. You can test the Pivot Report app button in Jira’s Issue Navigator using sample search results. This works for both unsaved searches and saved filters on the demo site.

Can you share the results of a search query in the Issue Navigator?

Yes. You can share the URL of an unsaved search query or share a saved filter.

A saved filter can also be emailed by clicking the ‘Share’ button in the Issue Navigator, as documented by Atlassian for both Cloud and Data Center.

Can you prevent users from creating reports using the Issue Navigator?

Yes. You can prevent users from creating reports from the Issue Navigator by removing their access to the app entirely. To revoke or restore access, follow the steps described in the separate article.

You can also remove the app’s integration at the space level. However, this only disables report creation from the Work Item view. It does not prevent users from creating reports from boards within that space.

Can you extend the report to include deliverables linked with a “Blocked By” relationship?

Yes. You can extend the report to include work items linked through relationships such as Blocked by or other link types. However, these work items can only be added by modifying the report source after the report has been created.

Refer to the related article for steps on how to include them.

Troubleshooting

What can you do if the 'Pivot Report' button is missing?

If the Pivot Report button is missing from the Issue Navigator, check if it is disabled by following the steps listed in a related article.

How can you switch to Basic or Advanced search?

In the Issue Navigator, you can switch between Basic and Advanced (JQL) search modes.

If Basic mode is selected, click JQL to switch to Advanced mode.
If Advanced (JQL) mode is selected, click Basic to switch back.


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For more details on using Basic / Advanced search for Cloud and Basic / Advanced search for Data Center, refer to Atlassian's documentation.

Can reports display more issues than Jira, and what is the impact?

Yes. Reports can display more work items than a board or the Issue Navigator. However, loading time increases as the work item count grows.

Working with high work item count in Cloud

Atlassian notes that searches have no work item limit, but display limits apply:

  • Boards and backlogs show up to 5,000 work items.

  • The Issue Navigator shows only the first 1,000 work items.

A report can help you work around certain Jira limits, though it may increase loading time. For example, a board may fail to load if it reaches the maximum work item limit.

In contrast, you can create a report based on the board or its underlying source filter. However, this report may take longer to load compared to one linked to a board that has not reached the maximum limit.

Working with high work item count in Data Center

The display limit for the Issue Navigator can be increased using a documented workaround. A report does not require this workaround, although very large reports may load more slowly.

Similarly to prior example, a report linked to a board or its underlying source filter may take longer to load if the workaround was applied to increase the limit.

Can you to decrease the report’s loading time?

Yes. The number of work items in the report source directly affects Jira’s API performance, which determines the report’s loading time—not Pivot Report itself.

  • To speed up loading, reduce the number of referenced work items or those added through extensions (parent or child items).

  • Also, specify which spaces or boards Jira should search. A narrower search scope means fewer items for Jira to process, resulting in faster results. Atlassian’s documentation offers additional JQL optimization tips.


How can you resolve the unbound queries error when creating a report?
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The error above appears when the report source is unbound, whether it uses a saved filter or a JQL query. Follow the steps in the related article to resolve it.

If you have questions or need assistance, contact our support team via email or service desk. Our team is available Monday through Friday (9:00 AM to 7:00 PM GMT+7) to help with technical challenges or discuss improvements.