Auto Transfer from one List to another - Duplications

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Posted on by TT-07052351-0

Hello!

I'm in need of desperate help!

I have a Power Automate flow that transfers a whole row from one list (the parent list) to another (the child list) - this is done by a manual trigger by entering an acronym into a column. However, whenever this flow is tiggered, instead of transferring the row just once, it duplicates the rows so there are multiple rows of the exact same item by separating the people tagged within the child list - screenshot below:

I need the row from the parent list, once triggered, to transfer over exactly without any duplications or separations. Please help!

This is the PowerAuto flow:

The parent list:

**********************************************************************************

Getting items from parent list with trigger "CI" in column "SGP_Plan"

**********************************************************************************
Condition (after many attempts this was the condition that worked)

**********************************************************************************

For Each (the only selection allowed that worked):

Child List - with 'advanced parameters' matching up with columns from both lists:

Thank you so much!

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Vish WR 3,748 on at

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@TT-07052351-0

The duplication will occur if the Person column is multi-select. The column is being treated as a list. Power Automate automatically creates a loop and inserts one row per person, rather than keeping them in a single item.

You need to stop the implicit loop:

In your flow, find the Person/Action Owner field

Before “Create item”, add a Join action

Input: your multi-person field

Separator: ; (or ,)

Use the output of Join in the SharePoint/child list column instead of the original field

Result

No “Apply to each” loop

One record created

All people stored in a single field as text

Vishnu WR

LinkedIn - My Tech Space

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TT-07052351-0 4 on at

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Hello @Vish WR!

Thank you very much for your response, I have now taken out the 'for each' loop, which has stopped the duplicates when a new item is created. However, when editing an original item already created (in the parent list), duplicates are still happening in the child list.

Instead of updating the item, it duplicates in the child list every time a column is edited in the parent list.

Could I please have some more advise?

Thank you,

T

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Vish WR 3,748 on at

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@TT-07052351-0

The issue now is that your flow uses “When an item is modified” as the trigger and always runs Create item — so every edit to the parent list creates a brand new row in the child list.
You need to add a check-before-create pattern:

Step 1 – Get items from child list
After your condition passes, add a Get items action on the child list with an OData filter to find any existing record matching the parent item. For example:
Title eq 'your identifier value'
Step 2 – Add a condition
Check if the value output from Get items has a length greater than 0 (i.e., a record already exists).
• If yes (exists) → use Update item with the existing item’s ID
• If no (doesn’t exist) → use Create item as you have now
This way, the first time the item is transferred it creates a record; subsequent edits update it rather than duplicating.

Alternative approach: If you only ever want the transfer to happen once (on first entry of “CI”), switch your trigger to “When an item is created” instead of modified — that way edits to the parent never re-trigger the flow at all.

Vishnu WR

LinkedIn - My Tech Space

Please ✅ Does this answer your question if my post helped you solve your issue. This will help others find it more readily. It also closes the item. If the content was useful in other ways, please consider answering Yes to Was this reply helpful? or give it a Like ♥

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Kalathiya 2,456 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hello @TT-07052351-0,

Look like issue is happening because the Person/Group column is configured as multiple selection. When you use that field directly inside the Create Item action, Power Automate automatically creates an Apply to Each loop and iterates through every selected user as it's multiple select person column. Due to this, flow creates a separate row for each tagged member instead of creating a single row containing all members.

Your condition looks correct only.

Please refer below blog for step by step guidance.

Reference:

https://normyoung.ca/2021/11/10/use-power-automate-to-copy-multi-select-person-values-between-microsoft-lists/

https://spknowledge.com/2020/10/04/power-automate-how-to-update-single-or-multiperson-field-in-sharepoint/

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Glad it helped 🙂
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A Like 👍 is always appreciated, and I’m around if you need more help @Kalathiya

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TT-07052351-0 4 on at

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Hello @Vish WR!

Again, thank you!

From you're description, is this what the flow is supposed to look like? As I attempt to test, this Failed message comes up.

Or I tired this as well, same result.

Within 'Get Items 1' is the child list address and the expression in 'Order By':

And within Condition 1:

Thank you!

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Vish WR 3,748 on at

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@TT-07052351-0

Regarding the InvalidTemplate error in your screenshots — this is happening because your "Get items 1" or "Condition 1" actions are referencing a "For each" loop that no longer exists in the flow after you removed it. You need to:

Delete the Get items 1 and Condition 1 actions completely

Re-add them fresh outside any loop

Reconnect the references cleanly

flow structure:

When an item is created or modified (Parent list)

Get items (Child list) → filter by Title matching parent item Title

Condition → check if length(body('Get_items')?['value']) is greater than 0

If Yes (item exists) → Update item in child list

If No (new item) → Create item in child list

Vishnu WR

LinkedIn - My Tech Space

Please ✅ Does this answer your question if my post helped you solve your issue. This will help others find it more readily. It also closes the item. If the content was useful in other ways, please consider answering Yes to Was this reply helpful? or give it a Like ♥

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