Data sources

Configure SeaLights, Git or SCM settings, and Jira or Azure DevOps source queries.

Connect User Story Coverage to the systems that supply report input. Configure the work item query, SeaLights source, and SCM extraction rules here.

How data sources are organized

Most setups combine three input types:

Work item source — choose the Jira or Azure DevOps query that defines the report scope.
SeaLights — connect to the coverage source and report-generation settings.
Git and SCM — extract ticket IDs from commits, branches, or pull requests.

Which section answers which question

Which tickets or work items should the report include? — use Work item source.
Which SeaLights account and report window should the report use? — use SeaLights.
How are ticket IDs extracted from source control activity? — use Git and SCM.

Work item source

User Story Coverage supports query-based work item selection from Jira and Azure DevOps.

Typical use cases

Report coverage for the current sprint
Report coverage for a specific epic or release
Publish coverage for work items changed in a date range

Query model

Use a query that returns the exact work items you want in the report.

Keep queries narrow. Start with a sprint, iteration, epic, or recent date range.

Test the query in Jira or Azure DevOps before you run report generation.

Use these settings when Jira or Azure DevOps supplies the work items for your report. Configure the source query here, then keep publishing target settings in Publication targets.

Use this when you are using Jira.

✅ Prerequisites

A Jira base URL
An authorization header value
A JQL query that already works in Jira

🚀 Steps

Add the Jira settings block

{
  "jira": {
    "authorization": "Basic base64-encoded-credentials",
    "jql": "project = MYPROJ AND created > startOfMonth(-1)",
    "base_url": "https://yourcompany.atlassian.net",
    "api_version": 3,
    "child_levels": 2,
    "on_prem": false
  }
}

Set the required fields

authorization — required authorization header value.
jql — required Jira query.
base_url — required Jira instance URL.
api_version — required REST API version.

Use child_levels when parent issues need child issue coverage. Set on_prem to true for Jira Server or Data Center.

Validate the query

Run the JQL in Jira first. Keep the result set narrow and predictable.

📤 Expected Outcome

The query returns the exact Jira issues for the report. Child issue expansion follows child_levels.

Query examples

project = MYPROJ AND created >= -30d
issueType = Story AND sprint in openSprints()
labels = sprint-42 AND status != Closed

Use this when you are using Azure DevOps.

✅ Prerequisites

An Azure DevOps organization and project
A PAT-based authorization header value
A WIQL query that already works in Azure DevOps

🚀 Steps

Add the Azure DevOps settings block

{
  "ado": {
    "wiql": "SELECT [System.Id] FROM WorkItems WHERE [System.WorkItemType] = 'User Story' AND [System.ChangedDate] >= @Today - 30",
    "authorization": "Basic base64-pat-token",
    "organization": "your-organization",
    "project": "your-project",
    "child_levels": 2
  }
}

Set the required fields

wiql — required work item query.
authorization — required PAT-based authorization header.
organization — required Azure DevOps organization.
project — required project name.

Use child_levels when parent work items need child work item coverage.

Validate the WIQL

Run the WIQL in Azure DevOps first. Use field names that exist on the returned work item type.

📤 Expected Outcome

The query returns the exact work items for the report. Child work item expansion follows child_levels.

Common field examples

System.TeamProject
System.State
System.AssignedTo
System.IterationPath

SeaLights

Use the sealights block for authentication and report generation behavior.

Add the SeaLights settings block

{
  "sealights": {
    "api_token": "your-api-token",
    "domain": "yourcompany.sealights.co",
    "coverage_days_back": 14,
    "report_timeout_minutes": 30,
    "use_repository_url": false,
    "verify_ssl": true
  }
}

Set authentication and coverage window

api_token — required SeaLights API token.
domain — required SeaLights account domain.
coverage_days_back — required coverage lookback window.

Set report behavior

report_timeout_minutes — optional wait limit for report generation.
use_repository_url — optional use repository URLs from SeaLights.
verify_ssl — optional SSL verification toggle.

Git and SCM

Use the scm block to extract ticket IDs from commits and branches.

Add the SCM settings block

{
  "scm": {
    "key_pattern_regex": "PROJ-[0-9]+",
    "github_api_url": "https://api.github.com",
    "github_token": "ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxx",
    "github_owner": "your-organization",
    "type": "github",
    "remove_prefix_regex": "^refs/heads/"
  }
}

Set extraction rules

key_pattern_regex — required regex for ticket extraction.
type — required SCM type: github, gitlab, bitbucket, or ado.
remove_prefix_regex — optional branch-name cleanup regex.

Add provider-specific fields

github_api_url — GitHub API endpoint when using GitHub.
github_token — GitHub token when using GitHub.
github_owner — GitHub organization or user.

Regex examples

Jira keys — "[A-Z]+-[0-9]+"
GitHub issues — "#[0-9]+"
Azure DevOps IDs — "[0-9]+"
Custom multi-type pattern — "\\[(FEAT|BUG|TASK)-[0-9]+\\]" — matches commit messages like [FEAT-123] Add user authentication or [BUG-456] Fix login redirect issue

Validation tips

Confirm your regex matches real commit messages.
Keep coverage_days_back long enough for your release cycle.
Test Jira queries and WIQL queries in the source system first.
Leave verify_ssl enabled unless troubleshooting requires otherwise.

Use Source Tagging for source-tagging command details and FAQ for common query questions.

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Last updated 15 days ago

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