Creating Backlog Feeds

Use backlog feeds to aggregate content for backlog views.

All backlog feeds are public and are available to all users to add to backlog views. Work items returned by backlog feeds are dependent on your user privileges, however.

You can create backlog feeds from an existing backlog view or from the Feeds page of your user profile.

To create a backlog feed:

Open the Backlog Feed wizard:
- From an existing backlog view, select Edit from the Actions list. Click New.
  Or
- Click the user icon in the upper right corner, select Settings, and then select the Feeds page. Click New Feed, and then select Backlog.
On the Item Type Filter page, select the application from which feed data should be returned. (If you are creating the feed from a single application context, only that application is available.)
On the Select Projects tab, select an option to filter the projects from which backlog items are returned, based on the feed's application context:
- Selected projects
  Select to return items from selected projects, and then select the projects.
  
  To add a single project, hover over the project, and then click the Plus sign.
  
  To add a project and all of its sub-projects, hover over the parent project, and then click the check mark ().
  
  You can also add parent projects, and then select the Include sub-projects check box.
- No filter
  Select to return items from any project within the feed's application context.
On the Select Owners tab, select an option to filter work items by owner:
- Selected groups and users
  Choose to return items owned by a specific set of groups () or users ().
- No filter
  Select to return items owned by any user.
Select the Include secondary owners check box to return items that the selected users own with other users along with items they primarily own. Clear this check box to return only items the selected users are primarily responsible for.
On the Set Criteria tab, click Add to add one or more search filters based on work item fields. Use these guidelines:
- For each filter, you must specify a field, an operator, and value criteria. The operators and value options that are available to you depend on the selected field type.
- Multiple criteria use "and" operators. For example, a feed that has these filters:
  Active//Inactive = Active
  
  Team contains SBM UI Team
  
  Returns work items that are Active AND the Sprint Team field contains the SBM UI Team.
On the Set Estimates tab, select the fields used to calculate estimates and actual work units. This information is shown on the backlog list and on progress reports in backlog views. For guidance, refer to Working with Estimates and Actuals.
Tip: If you do not want to calculate work units for your backlog, do not select fields in this area. Progress calculations are based on work item counts in this case.
Also on the Set Estimates tab, select options for tracking user and team work completion rates for the My Work Items and Work by Team progress reports. Select one of these options:
- Owner field
  Select this option to track completion rates based on ownership throughout the item's backlog life cycle. For example, Laura Engineer worked on an item in the backlog and then assigned it to Hans Tester for verification. The item is included in the completed tally for the My Work Items progress report for Hans and Laura once the item meets the completion criteria defined in the backlog feed.
- Selected User Fields
  Select this option to track completion rates based on current values in selected User fields. For example, you select a Technician field in the backlog feed. Laura Engineer is selected in that field for a work item, and when the item is completed, it is included in the completed tally for My Work Items for Laura, but not for other users who may have worked on the item, such as a user selected in the Tester field.
Also on the Set Estimates page, choose an option for determining work item completion:
- Inactive flag
  Select this option to calculate work item completion based on the Active/Inactive field value. This field is used to determine inactive states. Work items in inactive states are calculated as complete when this option is selected.
- These conditions
  Select this option to create your own criteria for completed work items.
On the Save Feed page, provide a name and description for the feed.
Save your changes.

The backlog feed can now be added to backlog views. If you created the feed while you were editing a backlog view, the feed is automatically added to the view when you save your changes.