Overview
When you import Jira data into Office Timeline, the resulting PowerPoint timeline remains linked to the original source you loaded the data from. Thanks to this, you can update your slide effortlessly when your data in Jira changes using Office Timeline’s Refresh Data wizard. This guide will show you exactly how it works. We’ll cover:
A) Getting started
B) Customize your view in the data table
C) Selecting the items to refresh and what happens depending on status
Read the whole guide or click the links above to jump straight to the chapter you’re interested in.
A) Getting started
To start updating a timeline imported from Jira, click the Refresh Data button on the Office Timeline ribbon in PowerPoint.
Office Timeline will connect to your linked Jira source and open the Refresh Data wizard, where all the magic happens.
Quick tip: If you want to use another source from Jira than the one originally linked to your timeline, click “Change source” at the top-left of the Refresh Data window.
B) Customize your view in the data table
In the Refresh Data window, you will see all the data that differs in Jira compared to your current timeline, as well as a Status for each item, so you can get an accurate view of the updates.
The Status filters let you customize what you see in the data table by showing or hiding from view all items with a specific status. Simply click the arrow on the “Status” column header and check or uncheck whatever you wish from the dropdown menu. This will allow you to see and select specific updates faster.
Note: Status filters will affect only your current view – they have no impact on the actual timeline. Only the rows you select (or deselect) from the data table will impact your visual.
C) Selecting items to refresh and what happens based on status
After you’ve set up your filters to see exactly what you need in the refresh list, you can easily select the updates to apply to your timeline using the checkboxes in the leftmost column:
To move even faster, use the checkboxes above the data table to select or deselect entire groups of updates based on their status:
Speaking of statuses, let’s see what each of them means and how they work when refreshing data:
Overview of statuses
Changed 
One or more of an item’s values (title, start date, end date etc.) differ in Jira compared to your current timeline. We show you both the timeline version and the Jira version of said item (task/milestone), with the differences highlighted, so you can easily decide which version to keep.
- Select a Changed item to bring its Jira version into your timeline when refreshing data.
- Deselect it to keep the values you currently have on your visual.
Deleted
The task/milestone exists on your current timeline but was deleted from Jira.
- Select a Deleted item to remove it from your timeline.
- Deselect it to ignore the deletion and keep the task/milestone on your timeline.
New
The item didn’t exist in Jira the last time you imported or refreshed data.
- Select a New task or milestone to add it to your timeline.
- Deselect it to ignore it when refreshing data.
Imported
The item is already on your timeline and hasn’t suffered any changes since you last imported it. All Imported items are selected by default when opening the data refresh window.
- Deselect an Imported item remove it from the timeline.
- Keep the item selected to keep it on the timeline.
Not Imported
You had this item in Jira the last time when you imported last or refreshed your source, but you didn’t bring it into the timeline.
- Select a Not Imported item to add it to the timeline.
- Deselect it to ignore it when refreshing data.
Invalid
The item is not importable (e.g. the title or start & end dates may be missing). To fix invalid items, go back to Jira, double-check the issue names and dates, and correct any errors or empty cells in your data.
Once done choosing your updates, click the green Refresh data button, and that's it: Office Timeline will automatically refresh your slide.
Notes:
- You can use the Data refresh settings menu in the upper-right corner to choose if you want to import 1-day tasks as milestones or to ignore title changes when refreshing data.
- Refreshing data goes one way only. It will update your PowerPoint timeline to match the changes in your Jira source. Office Timeline will not impact or change your original source in any way.