I’m trying to set up a Power Query connection in Excel to fetch ticket data from our Jira instance. Here’s what I’ve done so far:
My setup process:
Built a custom filter in Jira to select the tickets I need
Found the CSV export URL which looks like this: https://[ourcompany].atlassian.net/sr/jira.issueviews:searchrequest-csv-with-bom-all-fields/15432/SearchRequest-15432.csv?atl_token=xyz123...
Opened Excel and went to Data > Get Data > From Other Sources > From Web
Entered the base URL without the token parameters
Authentication challenge:
Since basic auth is no longer supported, I generated an API token in my Jira profile and named it “excel-integration”. When I select Web API authentication in Power Query and paste my token, I get this error: “A web api key can only be specified when a web api key name is provided”
My question:
How do I properly reference the API token name I created in Jira? Do I need to specify “excel-integration” somewhere in the Power Query setup? I’m confused about where to input both the token value and its identifier.
Has anyone successfully connected Jira CSV exports to Excel using API tokens? What am I missing in this authentication process?
had this exact issue last week! just use the full URL with the atl_token parameter directly in power query. don’t bother authenticating separately - paste the complete csv export link with the token already included. jira treats these export URLs as pre-authenticated when the token’s embedded, so you skip all that api key confusion completely.
You’re overcomplicating this. Don’t use Web API for Jira - it won’t work. When you connect to your Jira CSV URL, just pick Basic authentication. Use your email as username and your API token as password. That ‘excel-integration’ name you created? It’s just for you to remember what the token’s for. Power Query doesn’t care about it. I made the same mistake when I started doing this. Make sure you’ve got the complete CSV export URL with all the parameters. When the login box pops up, put your Atlassian email in username and paste the actual token string in password. Should work fine.
This error occurs due to limitations with the Web API authentication in Jira. Instead, opt for Basic authentication; enter your email as the username and your API token as the password. Remember that the token name you created is solely for your reference, and it is not necessary for the connection process. Additionally, be aware that the CSV export URL can change, so ensure you have the latest link from Jira if issues persist.
Jira API tokens with Excel Power Query? Yeah, that’s a nightmare. I’ve wasted countless hours on connection issues.
After years of this stuff, I learned manual connections always break. Jira changes URLs, tokens die, CSV formats change - then your reports are toast.
Skip Power Query entirely. I use Latenode now - pulls directly from Jira API, transforms data however you want, dumps it straight into Excel or Sheets. No auth headaches, no broken connections.
Mine runs every morning at 8am for project dashboards. Takes 2 minutes to set up vs hours debugging Power Query. When Jira changes something, I update one workflow instead of fixing it on every machine.
The Jira connector handles API tokens automatically and filters/formats data before Excel even sees it. Way better than CSV exports.
Weird nobody mentioned this, but check if your Jira admin disabled CSV exports for external apps. Happened at my company and I wasted hours troubleshooting auth when exports weren’t even allowed. Also, that atl_token in your URL expires fast - don’t save it long-term.
Web API auth just doesn’t play nice with Jira’s CSV export endpoints. I hit the same token validation errors when I tried that route first. Switching to Basic auth fixed it for me, but there’s one thing that trips everyone up. Use your full Atlassian email as the username and drop your actual API token string in the password field. That token name you made in Jira? It’s just for organizing your tokens - ignore it. Here’s the thing though - the direct CSV export URL will timeout on bigger datasets. Better approach: hit Jira’s REST API search endpoint instead and let Power Query parse the CSV. Auth works way more consistently, plus you get decent error handling when your filters change.