Migrate from YouTrack to Microsoft Project

YouTrack Issues map to Microsoft Project Tasks as the primary migration unit. We map Summary to Task Name, description to Notes (rich text preserved), issue Status to a mapped Status value, Priority (Urgent/High/Normal/Low) to Priority number (1-1000), and issue Type to a custom Task Field or Text field. Start Date from YouTrack maps to Start; Due Date maps to Finish. Duration is computed from the difference between Start and Finish. Parent Issues and Subtasks require WBS hierarchy mapping since YouTrack stores parent links as a separate link type rather than an outline field.

YouTrack Projects map to individual Microsoft Project files (MPP) or to Project Online projects. The YouTrack project name becomes the Project Name field. YouTrack project type (Scrum, Kanban, Bug-tracking) is stored as a Project-level custom field in Microsoft Project. If the destination is Project Online, projects are created via the SharePoint REST API and then populated with task data via the Project Server REST API.

YouTrack enum custom fields (single-select and multi-select) map to Microsoft Project Task Custom Fields. Single-select enums become Task Text fields or Task Flag fields with the enum label as the value. Multi-select enums cannot map to a single Microsoft Project field and are instead joined into a Task Text field with comma-separated values, or split into separate Flag fields per option (one Flag per possible enum value). We configure the lookup table in the destination Project file before import.

YouTrack date custom fields map to additional Task-level Start or Finish date fields in Microsoft Project. Since Microsoft Project has only one primary Start and Finish per task, we create Task Date fields (Task Custom Fields of type Date) named to match the YouTrack field label. For example, a YouTrack custom field Target Release Date maps to a Task Date custom field named Target Release Date.

YouTrack integer and float custom fields map to Microsoft Project Number custom fields (Task Number 1-10 or custom Number fields). String custom fields map to Task Text custom fields. We preserve the YouTrack field label as the custom field name in the destination project. Fields with validation rules (e.g., numeric ranges) cannot be enforced in Microsoft Project and are noted as requiring manual verification post-migration.

YouTrack parent-subtask relationships are stored as an issue link type rather than an outline level, so we reconstruct the WBS hierarchy by resolving the parent Issue ID on each subtask and setting the corresponding outline level in Microsoft Project. Deep nesting (more than 4 levels) may require flattening to fit standard WBS conventions. We log the original parent Issue ID in a Text custom field for traceability.

YouTrack issue links of type blocks and depends on map to Microsoft Project Finish-to-Start (FS) predecessor relationships. The YouTrack blocked-by link maps to a predecessor link from the blocking task to the blocked task. Link lag time is not natively stored in YouTrack and is set to zero unless the link description contains a lag reference that we parse. The four other YouTrack link types (relates to, duplicate, is duplicated by, inclusion) have no Microsoft Project equivalent and are excluded from the predecessor map; we document them in the link inventory.

YouTrack attachments are downloaded from the YouTrack REST API as binary file content with original filenames and MIME types preserved. Microsoft Project MPP files do not support embedded file attachments via API. We export attachments to a parallel directory structure matching the issue hierarchy and provide a manifest CSV that maps each YouTrack issue ID to its attachment filenames and download URLs. The customer's project manager reattaches critical files manually or stores them in SharePoint and links them via hyperlink fields in the migrated project.

YouTrack Tags attached to Issues map to a Task Text custom field named Tags with comma-separated values, or to the native Keywords field if the destination is Microsoft Project Desktop. During scoping the customer chooses whether tags become a single aggregated field or are split into separate Flag fields per distinct tag value.

YouTrack worklog entries (Workitem) store time spent on an Issue with a duration value and optional description. We aggregate worklog entries per Issue and map the total duration to a Microsoft Project Number custom field named Total Worklog Hours, or append the worklog descriptions to the Task Notes field with a Worklog: prefix. Microsoft Project's native work tracking model differs from YouTrack's per-entry worklog model, so worklog history is preserved as structured data rather than as a resource booking.

YouTrack Saved Queries store filter definitions with field names, operators, and values. Microsoft Project has no concept of saved queries or filters that persist across sessions in the same way. We export the full Saved Query definitions (name, filter logic, sort order) as a reference document and map them to Microsoft Project's existing filter and grouping views, noting that Saved Queries require manual reconstruction by the PM.

YouTrack Workflows are JavaScript rule sets defined per project with triggers on issue create, update, or state change. Microsoft Project has no automation or workflow engine. We export workflow source code with a reference to the project and issue type it applies to, parse for any referenced custom field IDs, and deliver the full inventory to the customer's admin for manual rebuild as a Project Online Power Automate flow or a separate process management tool.