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How to Fix Power Automate Formula Omitting SharePoint Choice Value

Huda Qurayshi Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to fix a Power Automate formula (such as a concat expression) that incorrectly returns a blank space instead of the selected SharePoint Choice column value.

How to Fix a Power Automate Formula That Omits a SharePoint Choice Value

Product: Power Automate / SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Building or running a flow in Power Automate that concatenates or references data from a SharePoint Choice column.
Observed behavior: The formula omits the choice value and returns a blank output (e.g., CMNEM__10 instead of CMNEM_R_10) when referencing the column's display name.

Before you start

Before modifying your formula, check your Power Automate run history and inspect the raw JSON outputs of the SharePoint 'Get item' action to see exactly which field names are being returned by the system.

Solution 1Recommended

Reference the SharePoint Column's Internal Name

Resolve the blank value issue by updating your Power Automate formula to reference the original internal name of the SharePoint column rather than its current display name.

SharePoint assigns an internal name to a column when it is first created. If the column is later renamed (for example, from 'Column1' to 'Classification'), Power Automate expressions still require the original internal name to successfully fetch the data.

Locate List Settings

Navigate to your SharePoint list, click the gear icon in the top right corner of the screen, and select 'List settings' from the dropdown menu.

Find the Internal Name

Scroll down to the Columns section and click on the affected Choice column (e.g., Classification). Look at the URL in your web browser's address bar and locate the text immediately after 'Field='. This string is the column's internal name.

Update the Formula Expression

Return to your Power Automate flow and update your expression to use the internal name you just found. For example, use `body/Column1/Value` instead of `body/Classification/Value`.

Reference the SharePoint Column's Internal Name

Encoded Characters: If your original column name contained spaces, SharePoint encodes them (e.g., '_x0020_'). You must use the exact encoded string found in the URL for your Power Automate formula to work.

Solution 2

Debug Data Outputs Using a Compose Action

Use a Compose action to inspect the dynamic content and verify the exact name and structure of the Choice column being passed from SharePoint.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Power Automate concat expression return a blank space for a SharePoint column?

This usually happens when the formula references the display name of a renamed SharePoint column instead of its original internal name. Power Automate relies strictly on the internal name to pull the correct data from SharePoint.

How do I find the true internal name of a SharePoint column?

Go to your SharePoint List settings, click on the specific column name, and look at the URL in your browser's address bar. The text immediately following 'Field=' is the column's original internal name.

Can I permanently rename a SharePoint column's internal name?

No, a SharePoint column's internal name is permanently locked in when the column is first created. If you absolutely need a different internal name for cleaner expressions, you must delete the column and create a new one with the desired name.

How do I extract just the text value from a SharePoint Choice column in Power Automate?

Because Choice columns return a complex JSON object rather than a simple string, you need to append `/Value` to your data expression, such as `body/InternalColumnName/Value`, to successfully extract the actual text.

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