In this article:
1. Updating Cards in Bulk from the Advanced Search
1.1. Selecting Cards and Permissions
1.2. Non-Editable Fields
1.3. Editable Fields
2. Updating Fields That Are Present for All Selected Cards and Boards
3. Updating Fields That May Have Different Values across Boards
3.1. Updating Custom Fields
4. Updating Multiple Cards (on different boards) from a Management Board
In Businessmap, the Advanced Search lets you filter cards and initiatives using multiple criteria and generate reports to help you track results. You can update certain card fields directly from the results table. For ease of use, you can do that for multiple cards at once.
1. Updating Cards in Bulk from the Advanced Search
1.1. Selecting Cards and Permissions
You can use the Advanced Search to simultaneously modify selected cards within the search results window without the need to open each individual card. By holding down the CONTROL/COMMAND button and clicking on the rows representing the cards, you can select multiple cards from the search window. Upon clicking the appropriate field within the column, you will be able to change its value for all selected cards.
To use this feature, you need to have the “Edit Card Details” permission on all boards where the cards are located. If you try to update multiple cards across different boards and don't have permission to update cards on one or all of the boards, you will see a message indicating you don't have permission to modify the cards.
The “Select All” button in the top left corner lets you select up to 500 cards to edit in bulk with one update action.
1.2. Non-Editable Fields
Regular fields that cannot be updated using this feature: Actual end date, Actual start date, Attachments, Blocked, Block Count, Block Time, Board Name, Card ID, Child Card Progress, Column Name, Comments, Created At, Cumulative size, Custom Card ID, Cycle Time, Description, End Date, Finished Subtasks Count, First Blocked Date, First Date Moved to, Lane, Last Blocked Date, Last Date Moved out of, Last Date Moved to, Links, Logged Time, Owners, Position in Cell, Reporter, Section, Start Date, Times Moved to, Total Subtasks Count, Watcher, Work Item, Workflow Name, Workspace Name.
1.3. Editable Fields
These are the card fields you can edit in bulk from the Advanced Search: Blockers, Co-owners, Custom fields, Deadline, Milestones, Owner, Planned End*, Planned Start*, Priority, Size, Stickers, Tags, Title, Type.
* Applies to timeline and portfolio initiatives only.
2. Updating Fields That Are Present for All Selected Cards and Boards
To update multiple cards, start by selecting them. Then, click on the field box next to one of the selected cards and choose the desired value.
Let's look at an example. You have 3 cards with average priority. If you want to change them all to high priority, you will have to do the following:
- Select the three cards by holding down CONTROL/COMMAND on your keyboard.
- Click on the priority field to open the dropdown.
- Select high priority.
3. Updating Fields That May Have Different Values across Boards
Unlike card priority which is present on all boards and offers the same options, there are details such as tags and stickers that may have different values across boards. Here is how to update these fields in bulk.
Once you select your cards, a dropdown menu will appear. It will list the values that represent the intersection of the available options on all selected boards, excluding custom fields because they are represented as different columns in the search results table.
At the top of the dropdown, you will see a message indicating that it is only showing the available values for the selected boards. To see all fields, you should click the “Show all” button.
Note: If no elements are valid for the selected boards, an empty list may appear with a message indicating that no valid types are available for the selected boards.
For example, if you want to update the tags of multiple cards, you have to again start by selecting the cards. Then choose the tag(s) you want to add. You will see a message in the pop-up modal letting you know the number of work items you are about to update (see image below).
Click on Save to update your changes.
The update action may fail for several reasons. For example, you may receive an error message if you lack the necessary permissions or if you have selected a subtask (they can't have tags of their own).
Note: You can add multiple values for fields that allow more than one value (e.g. tags, stickers).
Updating Custom Fields
When trying to update a custom field in bulk, you have to be mindful if it has been applied to all selected cards. If the custom field is only available for some of the selected cards, you will see the following pop-up:
You will have the following options:
- Cancel: stops the update process altogether (using the X)
- Update applicable cards: update only the cards for which you have update permissions/where the custom field is available.
- Add Element (custom field) and update all cards: adds the element to the board. If you have permission to add card fields. If you don’t have permission to do that, you will get a consecutive error message.
If a custom field (Field A) is not available on all selected boards (for example, Board 1 and 2), you will need to add it to both boards. When this is the case, there will be no “Update applicable cards” option. Instead, you will only be able to use the “Add custom field and update all cards” option.
Important:
- You need to have the “Edit Card Details Role” to change any card element.
- Adding Blockers, Custom fields, Milestones, Stickers, Tags, and Types to boards depends on Card Controls settings from the Security and Audit Logs menu.
- For the Owners field, it also depends on the “Add Users to Board” permission. Adding users as Co-Owners or Contributors does not require this permission.
4. Updating Multiple Cards (on different boards) from a Management Board
You can also select multiple cards from a Management Board, and then update them using the Context menu from the top right menu button in the closed card view.
Important: The update limit for this functionality is 50 cards at a time.