Avoid Unwanted Apply to Each in Power Automate with Arrays & Select Actions – SharePoint Lists

Stop struggling with “Apply to each” loops in Power Automate! Learn how to efficiently work with arrays and objects from SharePoint lists—no more confusion over expressions, people pickers, or multiple choice fields. In this hands-on Power Platform tutorial, you’ll discover practical techniques to manipulate SharePoint data using low-code tools. We’ll walk through common pitfalls, explain why Power Automate sometimes inserts those pesky loops, and show you how to streamline your cloud flows for real-world business process automation. Whether you’re building digital transformation solutions or just want to save time on repetitive data tasks, this video’s packed with tips for citizen developers and workflow automation fans alike. What You’ll Learn: ✔️ Understand the difference between “Get item” and “Get items” and how their outputs impact your flows ✔️ Automate extraction and formatting of people picker and multi-choice fields without unnecessary apply-to-each loops ✔️ Build efficient flows using Select, Join, and expressions for cleaner, faster data manipulation ✔️ Avoid common errors with arrays, objects, and dynamic content in Power Automate and Dataverse integrations Timestamps: 00:00 – Why Power Automate Adds “Apply to Each” and How to Avoid It 00:41 – Exploring the SharePoint List: Columns, Choices, and People Pickers 01:37 – “Get item” vs. “Get items”: Outputs and JSON Structure Explained 03:54 – Using Compose, Apply to Each, and Expressions for Dynamic Data 06:35 – Comparing Variables vs. Select for Efficient String Building 08:12 – Filtering and Joining Arrays: Select and Join in Action 11:46 – Using First Expression and Indexes to Access Array Items 15:46 – Manipulating Multiple Choice Fields and Creating Value Strings #PowerAutomate #workflowautomation #PowerPlatform #LowCode #SharePoint Ready to supercharge your flows? Drop your questions or share your own Power Automate tips in the comments! Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and check out the related videos for deeper dives into JSON and Power Platform automation. Additional Links: 🔗 https://youtu.be/G3Q1WuZTWuY?list=PLzq6d1ITy6c138K_CM7hs9T1zuvvZufX_ More JSON related videos 🔗 https://youtu.be/6nJSUNh579w?list=PLzq6d1ITy6c138K_CM7hs9T1zuvvZufX_ More JSON related videos 🫠 About me: 👋 Hi, I'm Damien Bird — Power Platform Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft ☁️ 🧠 Former Forum Super User (2021/22) & Business Applications MVP (2022) 🎤 Speaker at conferences across Europe, the US, and local UK user groups 💡 Passionate about sharing knowledge, solving problems, and empowering the community with the Power Platform! 📚 Explore more: 🔗 Blog: https://DamoBird365.com 🎥 Video & Quiz CPD: https://DamoBird365.com/YouTube 🎓 Join the Community: https://DamoBird365.Teachable.com/p/DamoBird365Membership 💖 Support the Channel: https://youtube.com/@DamoBird365/membership ☕ Buy Me a Coffee: https://BuyMeACoffee.com/DamoBird365 💼 LinkedIn: https://LinkedIn.com/In/DamoBird365 🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/DamoBird365 🌐 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/DamoBird365.bsky.social 📜 Feedback or Request: https://forms.office.com/e/WAV1iF2Wis