Dataset: Issues & Pull Requests
Entity: Pull Requests
Field ID: deletions
Type: Integer
Description: The number of lines of code deleted in the pull request. For issues, the value is calculated from resolving pull requests.
Source: App (Pull Requests) / Calculated (Issues)
Transformation logic:
Pull Requests: use the native diff data from the source application.
Issues: the sum of lines deleted by all resolving pull requests.
From: |
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Github (PRs, Issues) |
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Gitlab (PRs, Issues) | Calculated from PR diff (API) |
Bitbucket (PRs, Issues) |
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Azure DevOps (PRs, Issues) | Calculated by performing a repo git diff |
JIRA (Issues) | Inferred from resolving PRs |
ClickUp (Issues) | Inferred from resolving PRs |
Trello (Issues) | Inferred from resolving PRs |
Reporting Use Cases
The Lines Deleted field is a key metric for understanding code maintenance and refactoring efforts. While new features often involve adding code, a healthy project also involves removing obsolete code, simplifying complex logic, and replacing old systems. As a numeric field, deletions is crucial for creating advanced metrics that measure the health of your codebase.
Filtering for Cleanup and Refactoring: You can create reports that specifically target pull requests involving significant code removal.
Identify Major Refactors: Find large-scale refactoring or cleanup initiatives by using a filter like
Lines Deleted > 1000.Find "Removal-Only" PRs: Isolate pull requests that only remove code (e.g., deleting a deprecated feature) by using a combination of filters:
Lines Deleted > 0 and Lines Added = 0.
Measuring Code Removal Volume: You can aggregate this field to understand the scale of cleanup activities.
Total Code Removed: A KPI with the custom formula
SUM(deletions)can show the total number of lines removed during a specific period, which is a great way to quantify the impact of a "cleanup sprint".
Custom Formulas for Code Health Ratios: The most powerful use of this field is in combination with additions to calculate your team's refactoring habits.
Refactoring Ratio: This essential metric tracks the proportion of code being removed versus added. It is calculated with the formula
ROUND(SUM(deletions) / IF_ZERO(SUM(additions), 1) * 100, 2). A healthy refactoring ratio indicates that your team is actively managing technical debt rather than just accumulating new code.Code Churn: deletions is also a core component of "code churn," which measures the total volume of code being changed. This can be calculated with
SUM(additions) + SUM(deletions)(same asSUM(lines_changed)).