Issue Summary

When using the Jira Align REST API on the Objectives endpoint, the epicIds property is missing entirely from the response body if no Epics are associated with the Objective. This inconsistency becomes problematic when performing a GET request with epicIds as a Select parameter, resulting in a 500 Internal Server Error.

In contrast, other properties, such as featureIds and impedimentIds are included in the response body as empty arrays when they have no associated data, which is the expected behavior.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Use the Jira Align REST API and target the Objectives endpoint.
2. Ensure you have an Objective that does not have any associated Epics.
3. Construct a GET request to the Objectives endpoint, including the epicIds field in the Select parameters:

   GET /rest/align/api/2.0/Objectives?select=epicIds
   

Expected Results

The epicIds property should be included in the response body of the Objectives endpoint as an empty array ([]) when no Epics are associated with the Objective. This behavior would be consistent with other properties like featureIds and impedimentIds.

Actual Results

When no Epics are associated with the Objective, the epicIds property is entirely absent from the response body of the Objectives endpoint.

Including epicIds as a Select parameter in a GET request causes the API to throw an Internal Server Error 500

This inconsistent behavior creates challenges for users and applications relying on the API for data consistency and stability.

Workaround

• Error Handling: Users must implement additional handling for GET requests to detect and manage cases where the epicIds property is missing altogether.
• Data Validation: Applications must add logic to validate the response body and insert a default empty array ([]) for epicIds if missing.
• Avoid Using 'epicIds': Users may choose to avoid including epicIds in the Select parameters to prevent the 500 error, though this limits the functionality of the API.

By addressing this bug, the API will provide a consistent and logical response for all properties, significantly reducing the need for complex workarounds and the risk of application errors.