In this post we share our assessment of migrating the app Tempo Timesheets, a time tracking and resource management tool developed by Tempo. The first thing to note is the functionality originally included in the Tempo Timesheets app has been separated into three different apps on Cloud:
Our review is for the Tempo Timesheets Cloud app.
To learn more about the series, take a look at our introductory post: Jira App Migration: Top 10 Apps Evaluated.
Migrating Tempo Timesheets data has a few challenges, as it requires a knowledge of both automatic and manual migration methods; however, the documentation and resources available provide you with lots of support and guidance to complete your shift to the Cloud effectively.
| Feature Compatibility |  |
| Migration Complexity |  |
| Migration Method |  |
| Migration Support Available |  |
| Supported Jira Migration Methods |  |
Read on for the details.
Feature Compatibility
Even though Tempo Timesheets can be scripted to use the REST APIs available, the significant difference in the fundamental architecture between Server and Cloud makes it difficult to provide equivalent functionality in both environments.
While these APIs are synchronous and maintained in the Server, they are asynchronous and stateless in the Cloud. This makes it difficult to identify the results of what you have written to interact with the REST APIs.
Before migrating it is important to identify what features you use most and how your team may need to adapt when switching to Cloud. Most of the features available on Tempo Timesheets’ server offering are available on Cloud with only a few exceptions: many of the Configuration options available on Server are not available on Cloud and there is no integration for Event Handlers on Cloud.
Also worth noting is many of the Features, Reports, and Configuration options are still under development for Cloud.
Features like Reports, Jira custom fields, and Time tracking are comparable between Server and Cloud with only a few differences. In most cases there are alternative methods of obtaining similar functionality for missing and partial features through the Tempo REST APIs.
There are also advantages to Tempo Timesheets for Cloud over the server version with features like integrations for Chrome, Slack, and Visual Studio Code.
To learn more about the feature parity of Tempo Timesheets for Server and Cloud, take a look at this Server and Cloud feature comparison.
Migration Method and Complexity
Currently there is no support for the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant (JCMA), so the only way to migrate Tempo Timesheets data is to complete a full site import; however, Worklogs, Categories, and Timesheets are only partially migrated while Roles, Teams, Customers, and Accounts are not migrated at all.
In order to fully migrate these attributes, you will need to use Tempo Cloud REST APIs and Jira Server REST APIs. You may also need to import .csv files or even update information manually on your cloud instance to complete your shift to Cloud.
Even though there is currently no support for the JCMA, at Highway Three we decided to investigate the steps it would take to migrate Tempo with the JCMA and what it would entail. To learn more about it, read our Jira and Tempo Cloud Migration blog post.
Migration Support Available
Tempo has lots of documentation that can help you in your transition to the Cloud including steps to migrate, information on REST APIs, and details on Server and Cloud differences. Additionally, you can always contact Atlassian or Tempo to support your migration needs. A list of resources can be found at the end of our blog post.
Possible Challenges
We believe several challenges can arise when migrating from Server to Cloud for Tempo Timesheets. Tempo data in Jira Server is stored in the Jira server database while in Jira Cloud, data is stored in a vendor-specific storage. This difference of storage space may create complications in the Server to Cloud migration journey which can include worklogs not migrating automatically.
In our migration analysis, here are the issues we encountered that are important to note:
- You may have to wait up to 48 hours between each cloud site import – Tempo has to receive your request to reset and then carry through reset data. You cannot reset it yourself.
- It is important to understand how time zones will affect the availability of vendor support as assistance may not be active during your working hours.
- Be sure to use an XML backup before you attempt a migration, even during testing.
In order to provide a smoother migration experience, Tempo is working to make it possible for consumers to migrate Tempo Timesheets data with the JCMA and developing more REST APIs. More details on Tempo’s upcoming migration options can be found on their roadmap.
Resources: