While in the midst of some related research, I stumbled upon this query and felt compelled to share my own experience (albeit nine years later). Like many others, I often find myself grappling with the complexities of cross-referencing information within scripts. In my case, PowerShell is my tool of choice. The process of enumerating arrays of objects nested within loops can be incredibly inefficient and sluggish.
To tackle this challenge, I devised a workaround that involves transforming arrays into hashtables. By utilizing a common property value as the key (such as ObjectId or GUID), I am able to easily reference specific objects across multiple arrays without the need for extensive enumeration. This approach streamlines my workflow significantly, allowing me to access relevant data swiftly and efficiently.
In essence, my arrays serve as temporary storage containers, while the real magic happens within the hashtables – serving as my trusty index and lookup tables. However, one hurdle I encountered was how to effectively manage and organize these numerous hashtables during the scripting process.