How to Classify Different Types of File Attachments in Jira

Due to the flexibility of Jira, it can support many different usage scenarios.
Hence it has many different types of file attachments of differing importance.

Importance Level

Most organizations will categorize their documents with an importance level which is based on a few factors:

Legal Requirement: If a document is legally required (e.g. compliance, tax, corporate governance), it’s usually Critical or High.
Operational Impact: If its absence would disrupt operations, consider it High.
Time Sensitivity: Short-lived value often indicates Moderate or Low.
Reproducibility: If it can be easily recreated or has no enduring relevance, it’s likely Low.

These are general guidelines — you should adapt them based on your industry regulations, jurisdiction, and internal policies.

Importance Level	Classification	Description	Suggested Retention Period
Critical 🔐	Vital / Essential	Legally or operationally indispensable. Required for continuity and governance.	Permanent or as required by law
High 📁	Important / Permanent	Required for long-term reference, auditing, or proof. Loss causes serious issues.	7–10 years or more
Moderate 🧰	Useful / Operational	Needed for routine business but not mission-critical. Often time-bound.	2–5 years
Low 💬	Transitionary / Informal	Temporary reference or casual communication. Can be discarded after use.	Up to 1 year
Trivial 🗑️	Ephemeral / Junk	No lasting value. Often clutter. Safe to delete immediately.	Immediately or < 30 days

Different types of Files of varying importance

We compiled this list from the Jira instance we used for over 17 years.
You can use this as a guide to decide what type of files to housekeep.

Document Types	Common Extensions	Critical	High	Moderate	Low	Trivial
Documents	docx, xlsx, pptx, pdf, rtf, msg	Signed Contracts Evidence Legal documents Tax Records	Compliance Documentation Approvals emails SOPs	Work artifacts Project Documentation	Duplicates Drafts
Images	png, jpg, gif		Approvals	Evidence of work completion Test Results Artistic Designs	Screenshots Photos	Email Signatures Company Logos Advertisement Banners Expression Memes
Text	txt, log, csv, html, xml, json, svg, crt, pem, asc			Log files Notes Data files Certificates	PGP Signatures
Videos	qt, mov, mp4, mpg			Presentations Animation Webinars	Screen recordings
Zips	zip, gz, rar, 7z			Support Zips
Binaries	jar, obr, exe, com			Executables Plugins
Calendering	ics				Meeting Invites
Code	js, python, java, sh, sql			Source Codes Scripts

Conclusion

The retention period is the amount of time an agency keeps and maintain its records and documents for legal, tax, financial, administrative or historical purposes.
Based on the table above, an important issue may contains attachments with different importance.
It is not necessary to retain those attachments with low/trivial attachments.

Infographics

Different Levels of Importance of Attachments.png