How to Create a Board With Sample Data on Jira

If you're new to Jira or setting up a workspace for a team that's never used it before, staring at a blank board can feel overwhelming. Jira's sample data feature exists precisely for this reason — it gives you a pre-populated project with realistic issues, sprints, and board configurations so you can explore how everything fits together before committing to your own structure.

Here's what's actually happening when you use sample data, how to set it up, and what shapes the experience depending on your Jira plan and project type.

What "Sample Data" Actually Means in Jira

When Jira creates a project with sample data, it automatically generates a set of dummy issues — tasks, stories, bugs, and epics — organized across columns or sprints to simulate an active project. This gives you a working board you can interact with immediately: drag cards, transition statuses, explore backlog views, and test workflows without any manual setup.

Sample data is intentionally generic. You'll typically see placeholder issue names like "Set up project repository" or "Write onboarding documentation" — realistic enough to understand the layout, but clearly not tied to real work.

This is different from a blank project, where the board exists but has no issues or sprint history. The distinction matters if your goal is to demo Jira to a stakeholder, train a new team, or simply get familiar with the interface before building your own workflow.

How to Create a Board With Sample Data 🛠️

The path to creating a sample data board depends on which version of Jira you're using — Jira Software (cloud), Jira Work Management, or a self-managed (Data Center/Server) instance.

On Jira Software Cloud

1. Log in to your Jira cloud instance and navigate to the main menu.
2. Click Projects in the top navigation, then select Create project.
3. Choose a project type — Scrum or Kanban are the most common for software teams.
4. On the project creation screen, look for the option to "Try a sample project" or a toggle/checkbox labeled "Create with sample data" (wording varies slightly by version).
5. Give your project a name and key, then click Create.

Jira will generate the project and populate it with pre-built issues, a sample backlog, and in the case of Scrum boards, a pre-configured sprint. You can start exploring immediately.

Note: The exact UI for this option has shifted across Jira cloud updates. If you don't see a "sample data" toggle on the creation screen, look for a template gallery — some templates (like the "Scrum" or "Kanban" software templates) include an optional sample data layer during setup.

On Jira Work Management (Business Projects)

Jira Work Management projects — designed for non-software teams like marketing, HR, or operations — also support sample data through their template system. When you select a template (e.g., "Project Management" or "Content Calendar"), the creation flow often includes pre-populated tasks that function as sample data.

The board view in these projects reflects that sample content immediately, giving you a visual representation of how work moves across statuses.

On Jira Data Center or Server

Self-managed Jira instances offer sample data through a slightly different path. During the initial setup wizard when first installing Jira, there's an option to load sample data into the instance. If you're past that point, some administrators use Jira's built-in project templates that ship with placeholder issues, or install add-ons from the Atlassian Marketplace that provide richer sample datasets.

For existing instances, individual project creation may not surface a "sample data" toggle the same way cloud does — this is one of the meaningful differences between deployment types.

Variables That Shape Your Experience

Not every Jira setup produces the same sample board. Several factors affect what you'll see:

The project type choice is particularly significant. A Scrum sample project gives you a sprint-based board with a backlog, velocity concepts, and story points — which is only useful if your team actually plans to work in sprints. A Kanban sample project gives you a continuous flow board, which suits teams with ongoing or unpredictable work streams better.

What You Can Learn From Sample Data Before Building Your Own Board

Sample data isn't just decoration. Used thoughtfully, it lets you:

• Test transitions — move issues through statuses to understand how column rules and workflow conditions behave
• Explore issue hierarchy — see how epics, stories, and subtasks relate to each other visually
• Experiment with filters and views — backlog, board, and timeline views all behave differently, and sample data makes it easier to see why
• Understand sprint ceremonies — on Scrum boards, sample data lets you practice starting and completing a sprint without affecting real work

Teams training new members often keep a sample project running as a sandbox environment, separate from production projects.

The Part That Depends on Your Situation

Whether a Scrum or Kanban sample project is the right starting point, how much of the sample structure maps to your actual workflow, and whether you're better served by a blank project you configure from scratch — none of that has a universal answer. It depends on your team's working style, what Jira plan you're on, whether your instance is cloud or self-managed, and what level of Jira administration access you have.

The sample data gets you oriented. What you build from that point is shaped entirely by how your team actually works.