Power Automate is a powerful tool for automation, but inefficient flows can slow down performance and increase execution time. A common mistake is overusing Apply to Each (looping iterations) when filtering data. Instead, using the Filter Array action can significantly improve your flow’s efficiency.
Why Avoid Looping in Power Automate?
Using Apply to Each for filtering data:
❌ Slows down execution (loops iterate one-by-one).
❌ Consumes more API calls and runs (impacting Power Automate limits).
❌ Reduces readability and maintainability of your flow.
Using Filter Array instead:
✅ Executes in a single step (faster execution).
✅ Reduces complexity (no need for loops).
✅ Improves flow performance.
Example: Filtering Data Without Loops
Let’s say you have an array of employee records, and you want to filter only employees from the “IT Department”.
Using Apply to Each (Inefficient)
Initialize an empty array variable.
Use Apply to Each to loop through the data.
Add a condition inside the loop (if department = "IT").
Append matching records to the array.
This approach is inefficient because it loops over each item individually.
Using Filter Array (Efficient)
Instead of looping, use the Filter Array action:
Use the Filter Array action to apply a condition (department is equal to IT).
The action automatically returns only the matching results — no looping required!
From these two cases, it is evident that using a loop takes significantly longer to execute (around 4 seconds) compared to using the Filter Array action (around 2 seconds). Now, imagine implementing this in a larger flow — the time difference would increase dramatically.
Therefore, it is crucial to consider using Filter Array whenever possible before building a flow. This approach not only improves efficiency but also reduces execution time and resource consumption.
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