Switching test management tools can be cumbersome, with the overhead of moving your assets and relearning the processes. But do not fret, with some help, you can take the steps necessary to streamline the experience significantly.

In this tutorial, we will provide guidance for users migrating from qTest (2023.6 SaaS version, primarily qTest Manager) to Xray in Jira Cloud, focusing on the testing workflow and best practices.

Disclaimer: concepts and UI elements may be slightly different in other qTest versions, but the high-level process should be consistent.

Before you migrate

To ensure your data is not lost in transition, you first need to identify all the migration steps. The preferred sequence is:

1. (if you do not already manage requirements in Jira via Pro or Enterprise versions of qTest) Evaluate whether any adjustments are needed for qTest Requirements entities given the desired Jira layout (see the Mapping section below).
   
2. (if you do not already manage requirements in Jira via Pro or Enterprise versions of qTest) Migrate the requirements data and make any corrections in Jira, if necessary. Options: 
   1. Requirement Details report. 
   2. Get All Requirements from qTest API, potentially modify the file, then import via Jira APIs.
3. Export the qTest test cases
   1. Refer to this tutorial for the verified, recommended flow for all test sub-types. 
   2. Alternatively:
      1. If you have a qTest Scenario’s Git repository configured, you can import the .feature files with this API method.
      2. You can try getting All Tests from qTest API, modifying the file, then importing via Xray REST API.
4. Enable Xray and consider if any elements need to be created/configured before the import of test cases (see the Mapping section below).
   
5. Prepare the test cases from step 3 and import them to Xray.

Mapping

Even though you are migrating from one test management platform to another, some concepts will still be similar (maybe with different labels) as both tools facilitate Agile and DevOps practices with compatible/consistent approaches. 

We will focus our tutorial on the major differences. At the project level, for both Jira and Xray:

At the test case level for Xray: 

To summarize, for the migration, you will need to pay particular attention to:

• custom issue types, fields, and statuses;
• ways of organizing your tests (i.e. recreating test executions and likely test plans/test sets/test repository folders);
• attachments and datasets (move them to a cloud storage outside qTest then manually reattach to Xray entities).

To compare the visual issue layout for test cases (same color = same function):

qTest

Xray

Getting started with Xray after migration

If you've used qTest before, adopting Xray is straightforward. Your high-level workflow with qTest (focusing on the testing aspects) was likely this: 

1. Create a project.
2. Create a Test Plan structure for releases and builds. Use Pulse for workflow rules. 
3. Create entities on the Requirements tab to establish the project scope and link them to releases/builds.
4. Create entities on the Test Design tab and link them to requirements.
5. Plan test execution with Test Cycles and Test Suites.
6. Execute via Test Runs.
7. See the results on the Test Execution entities.
8. Utilize Export Reports and Insights for project-level analysis.

In Jira and Xray, your actions would be similar:

1. Create a project.
2. Create fix versions and sprints. Define the Jira workflow with statuses and actions.
3. Create Epics and Stories to establish the project scope and assign fix version and sprint values via issue fields.
4. Enable Xray for the project
1. Map your issue types to requirements and/or defects to make them coverable by Xray tests (in global settings - Jira Administration > Manage Apps > Xray > Issue Type Mapping) 
2. Activate Xray Requirement Coverage for the project
5. Create Test issues and connect them to the requirements via “tests” link type. Leverage Test Sets or Test Repository folders for structure (optional but recommended).
6. Plan test execution with Test Plans (optional but recommended) and Test Executions. Assign the necessary tests accordingly.
7. Execute via Test Runs.
8. See the results on the Test Execution, Test Plan, Test, or Requirement entities.
9. Utilize the reports (built-in or from Xporter/Document Generator) and/or dashboards for project-level analysis.

You can watch our Xray Cloud product demo for a more comprehensive process walkthrough.

Best practices for Xray adoption

For a consolidated collection of useful tips please refer to this Process section, as well as the “Tutorial, Tips, and Tricks” category overall. Here, we highlight just a few best practices:

• Avoid cloning issues; reuse as much as possible.
• modular and parameterized test, versioning.
• Test Environments.
• You can leverage Jira Automation to make Test issues inherit metadata from the stories.
• Xray can take advantage of Jira’s built-in workflow mechanism in order to provide greater control over the specification, execution, and planning.
• Restrict data (i.e., filter it) in the reports or gadgets to make the insights more focused.
• Keep in mind that Xray has both global and project-specific settings. 
• Leveraging “Health Check” in global settings every 3 months is recommended.
• You can track storage usage in Xray global settings; we advise you to perform this periodically.
• Remember that JQL and filters are used extensively throughout Jira, so teams should be aware that they should optimize their queries and use proper JQL functions.
• Have control over the REST API as it’s easy to “get excited with it” and abuse it.
• We highly recommend you to take Atlassian University Course Jira Governance & Housekeeping as most of the recommendation do apply to Xray

Xray and its Enterprise version are very comprehensive solutions for test management, so there's much to explore. We recommend checking out the academy courses, product guide, and tutorials.