Setting up Data Synchronization¶

Introduction¶

To enable data synchronization between Spira and external bug-tracking or agile planning tools, Inflectra utilizes a dedicated Data Synchronization Service.

This service operates independently of both Spira and your external application. It runs continuously in the background, meaning it must have network access to communicate with both systems simultaneously and needs to run 24/7 to keep everything in sync.

While the service acts as the core engine, it relies on application-specific plugins (such as those for Jira, Azure DevOps, or GitLab). These plugins work alongside the DataSync service to translate the data and manage the exact communication protocols between Spira and your chosen third-party tool.

Depending on your hosting environment, Inflectra provides three distinct ways to deploy data synchronization:

• Cloud Spira DataSync: A fully managed service that runs directly within Inflectra's secure cloud environment.
• On-premisess DataSync Service: A built-in, background Windows Service included with on-premisess Spira installations.
• Desktop DataSync: A standalone Windows application with a visual interface that you can install and run on your own local server or workstation.

This guide will help you determine which of these three options best fits your architecture and then provide step-by-step instructions for setting up your chosen method.

Prerequisite: The Data Sync Service Account¶

Regardless of which synchronization method you choose, you must provide valid credentials for the service to authenticate with Spira.

It is highly recommended that you create a dedicated "Service Account" user in Spira specifically for this purpose.

To function correctly, this Spira user must meet the following criteria:

• Active Status: The account must be active and have login access to Spira.
• Dedicated Exclusivity: Do not use the personal credentials of a human team member. A dedicated service account ensures that changes made by the integration are clearly marked in the audit logs (e.g., "Updated by DataSync"), preventing confusion and making troubleshooting much easier.
• Product Roles: The user must be explicitly added as a member of every Spira product you intend to synchronize.
• Proper Product Roles: The user must be assigned a Product Role with sufficient permissions to view, create, and modify all artifacts involved in the sync. For example, if you are syncing bugs, the user needs "Create" and "Modify" permissions for Incidents. If they lack these permissions, the sync will fail when trying to write data.

Choosing Your Synchronization Method¶

The table below explains the different options available, as well the option we recommend for each use case. The best option depends entirely on where your instance of Spira and your external application are hosted.

Option A: Setup Cloud Spira DataSync¶

Use this option if both your Spira instance and external application are cloud-hosted.

The "Spira DataSync" is Inflectra's built-in, cloud-based synchronization tool. It requires no installation, runs on our secure servers, and is managed directly from your Customer Area on the Inflectra website.

Step 1: Add the Service to your Subscription¶

The Spira Datasync is an optional feature you can add to your cloud-hosted Spira. You can get this feature for trials (free) and production subscriptions (nominal monthly charge).

If you want, add the Spira Datasync when signing up for the trial or production site.

Or add it at any time from the Customer Area: - find the "My Cloud Subscriptions" section - click "Customize" next to the subscription you want to add the Spira Datasync to - add the Spira Datasync

Step 2: Configure the Service¶

When the Spira Datasync feature has been successfully added to your cloud Spira, you need to configure it:

• go to the Customer Area at inflectra.com
• find the "My Cloud Subscriptions" section
• click the "Configure" button on the Spira Datasync row

• enter the login and password for a user in your Spira instance (see guidelines below)
• click the "Test" button to verify the credentials
• make sure the "Active" flag is checked
• click "Save"

Now that the cloud configuration is done, you need to complete the datasync setup in Spira itself. These steps will be specific to the application you are syncing with, and can be found on the navigation system for this site.

Option B: Setup the On-premises DataSync Service¶

Use this option if your Spira instance is hosted on-premises, OR if you are using Cloud Spira but need to connect to an on-premisess external application located securely behind your company firewall.

When you install Spira on-premises, a built-in background Windows Service is included. If you are using Cloud Spira but need to run the service locally, download the "Standalone Data-Synchronization Windows Service" from the Inflectra website, unzip it, and run the InstallService.bat script as an Administrator.

Step 1: Download the Required Plugins¶

The core service acts as the engine, but it requires a specific plugin to understand the API of the external application it is talking to.

1. Navigate to the Downloads page on the Inflectra website.
2. Download the appropriate plugin for your external application as a .zip file to the server where Spira is installed.
3. Extract the .zip file to reveal several .dll files.
4. Move these .dll files {root folder of where Spira is installed}\DataSync. By default, this is usually: C:\Program Files (x86)\SpiraPlan\DataSync, but it may vary based on your setup
5. Verify that the folder now contains files called DataSyncService.exe and DataSyncService.exe.config, alongside your new plugin files.
6. Make sure files are not blocked by Windows due to security

Step 2: Configure the Service¶

The Windows Service is configured using an XML based text file. This tells the service, once running, where to look and what to do.

• Open your DataSync installation folder of where Spira is installed}\DataSync and
• locate the file named DataSyncService.exe.config.
• Open this file in a text editor (you may need to run Notepad as an Administrator to save changes).

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
    <configSections>
  <sectionGroup name="applicationSettings" type="System.Configuration.ApplicationSettingsGroup, System, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" >
   <section name="Inflectra.SpiraTest.DataSyncService.Properties.Settings" type="System.Configuration.ClientSettingsSection, System, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" requirePermission="false" />
  </sectionGroup>
 </configSections>
 <applicationSettings>
  <Inflectra.SpiraTest.DataSyncService.Properties.Settings>
   <setting name="PollingInterval" serializeAs="String">
    <value>300000</value>
   </setting>
   <setting name="WebServiceUrl" serializeAs="String">
    <value>http://localhost/SpiraPlan</value>
   </setting>
   <setting name="Login" serializeAs="String">
    <value>fredbloggs</value>
   </setting>
   <setting name="Password" serializeAs="String">
    <value>PleaseChange</value>
   </setting>
   <setting name="EventLogSource" serializeAs="String">
    <value>Spira Data Sync Service</value>
   </setting>
   <setting name="TraceLogging" serializeAs="String">
    <value>False</value>
   </setting>
  </Inflectra.SpiraTest.DataSyncService.Properties.Settings>
 </applicationSettings>
</configuration>