Forms data connection intermittent instability issues resulting in HTTP 500 errors

Issue Summary

Setting up a Data Connection to be used with Forms occasionally runs into instability issues where the connection admin panel returns a HTTP 500 error or form fields using the data connection return no data.

Relevant documentation:

• Create, edit, test, or delete data connections for forms
• Add or unlink a data connection from a form

Steps to Reproduce

Data Connection configuration

1. Navigate to Settings > Issues > Data connections
2. Click Edit for an existing data connection
3. Move between the Connect and Test settings - can be done without an authorization token

Form field

1. Create or edit the form you want to add a data connection to. Learn how to create or edit a form.
2. Select the form field you want to connect.
   • To use a data connection on a form field, the form field needs to be a multiple choice, dropdown, or radio field.
3. In the right hand panel, under Data connection, select your desired data connection.
4. Associate the form with a request type
5. Navigate to the customer portal and select the request type configured with the form
6. Click on the field that has the data connection

Expected Results

Data Connection configuration

No errors are seen when testing the connection

Form field

The field populates the data

Actual Results

Data Connection configuration

The configuration page has the following front-end error:

HTTP Response: 500 ERROR

Unexpected error during connection.

In the backend the following can be seen:

{
    "code": 500,
    "headers": [],
    "contentType": "application/json",
    "itemLocations": []
}

Screenshot of error:

Form field

No data is returned in the drop down. Reviewing the network tab, when populating the field the following request returns an empty array:

Request:

Request URL: https://your-site.atlassian.net/gateway/api/proforma/portal/cloudid/42a-5c0-19e044-7a2d94c2440-4f0dd9139/api/3/portal/1/requesttype/124/formchoices
Request Method: GET
Status Code: 200 OK

Result:

{
    "fields": {},
    "dataConnections": {
        "c8-5d-4cb70107def984cb9-4b660b2f-469": []
    }
}

Workaround

The issue appears to be intermittent, therefore trying the connection again or refreshing the request form where the field value is not returning resolves the issue.