diff --git a/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/Item.java b/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/Item.java
index 46c8fcdf224..79be40a3c87 100644
--- a/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/Item.java
+++ b/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/Item.java
@@ -237,6 +237,10 @@ public V getValue(int index) {
 		return values.get(index);
 	}
     
+    public abstract <X> X getRealValue();
+    
+    public abstract <X> Collection<X> getRealValues();
+    
     public boolean hasValue(PrismValue value, boolean ignoreMetadata) {
     	return (findValue(value, ignoreMetadata) != null);
     }
diff --git a/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismContainer.java b/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismContainer.java
index 151da17ce28..198fbcfbe15 100644
--- a/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismContainer.java
+++ b/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismContainer.java
@@ -112,6 +112,28 @@ public boolean canRepresent(Class<?> compileTimeClass) {
     public List<PrismContainerValue<C>> getValues() {
     	return (List<PrismContainerValue<C>>) super.getValues();
     }
+    
+    @Override
+    public Collection<C> getRealValues() {
+		if (getValues() == null) {
+			return null;
+		}
+		List<C> realValues = new ArrayList<>(getValues().size());
+		for (PrismContainerValue<C> value : getValues()) {
+			realValues.add(value.asContainerable());
+		}
+		
+		return realValues;
+		
+	}
+    
+    @Override
+    public C getRealValue() {
+    	if (getValue() == null) {
+    		return null;
+    	}
+    	return getValue().asContainerable();
+    }
    
     public PrismContainerValue<C> getValue() {
     	if (getValues().size() == 1) {
diff --git a/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismContainerValue.java b/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismContainerValue.java
index fed6596f738..b4dd94e90eb 100644
--- a/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismContainerValue.java
+++ b/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismContainerValue.java
@@ -1583,16 +1583,4 @@ public static <T extends Containerable> List<PrismContainerValue<T>> toPcvList(L
 		return rv;
 	}
 	
-	public static <T extends Containerable> List<T> fromPcvList(List<PrismContainerValue<T>> values) {
-		if (values == null) {
-			return null;
-		}
-		List<T> realValues = new ArrayList<>(values.size());
-		for (PrismContainerValue<T> value : values) {
-			realValues.add(value.asContainerable());
-		}
-		
-		return realValues;
-		
-	}
 }
diff --git a/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismProperty.java b/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismProperty.java
index 27fdc8207cf..8105fbb3c8d 100644
--- a/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismProperty.java
+++ b/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismProperty.java
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ public <X> List<PrismPropertyValue<X>> getValues(Class<X> type) {
         return (List) getValues();
     }
 
+    @Override
     public Collection<T> getRealValues() {
 		Collection<T> realValues = new ArrayList<T>(getValues().size());
 		for (PrismPropertyValue<T> pValue: getValues()) {
@@ -140,6 +141,7 @@ public Collection<T> getRealValues() {
     /**
      * Type override, also for compatibility.
      */
+    
 	public <X> Collection<X> getRealValues(Class<X> type) {
 		Collection<X> realValues = new ArrayList<X>(getValues().size());
 		for (PrismPropertyValue<T> pValue: getValues()) {
@@ -164,6 +166,7 @@ public PrismPropertyValue<T> getAnyValue() {
         return values.iterator().next();
     }
 
+    @Override
     public T getRealValue() {
 		if (getValue() == null) {
             return null;
diff --git a/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismReference.java b/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismReference.java
index 20846a2688a..1ba348ac0f0 100644
--- a/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismReference.java
+++ b/infra/prism/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/prism/PrismReference.java
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@
 
 package com.evolveum.midpoint.prism;
 
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.List;
 
 import javax.xml.namespace.QName;
@@ -100,6 +102,26 @@ private PrismReferenceValue getValue(String oid) {
 		}
 		return null;
 	}
+	
+	@Override
+	public Referencable getRealValue() {
+		if (getValue() == null) {
+			return null;
+		}
+		return getValue().asReferencable();
+	}
+	
+	@Override
+	public Collection<Referencable> getRealValues() {
+		if (getValues() == null) {
+			return null;
+		}
+		List<Referencable> realValues = new ArrayList<>(getValues().size());
+		for (PrismReferenceValue refVal : getValues()) {
+			realValues.add(refVal.asReferencable());
+		}
+		return realValues;
+	}
 
     
     public boolean add(PrismReferenceValue value) {
diff --git a/model/model-common/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/model/common/expression/ExpressionUtil.java b/model/model-common/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/model/common/expression/ExpressionUtil.java
index 8d617cb848b..52058875570 100644
--- a/model/model-common/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/model/common/expression/ExpressionUtil.java
+++ b/model/model-common/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/model/common/expression/ExpressionUtil.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
  */
 package com.evolveum.midpoint.model.common.expression;
 
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.HashMap;
@@ -263,6 +264,34 @@ public static Object convertVariableValue(Object originalValue, String variableN
 				return prop.getValues();
 			}
 		}
+		if (originalValue instanceof PrismReference) {
+			PrismReference prop = (PrismReference)originalValue;
+			PrismReferenceDefinition def = prop.getDefinition();
+			if (def != null) {
+				if (def.isSingleValue()) {
+					return prop.getRealValue();
+				} else {
+					return prop.getRealValues();
+				}
+			} else {
+				return prop.getValues();
+			}
+		}
+		if (originalValue instanceof PrismContainer<?>) {
+			PrismContainer<?> container = (PrismContainer<?>)originalValue;
+			PrismContainerDefinition<?> def = container.getDefinition();
+			if (def != null) {
+				if (def.isSingleValue()) {
+					return container.getRealValue();
+				} else {
+					return container.getRealValues();
+					
+				}
+			} else {
+				return container.getValues();
+			}
+		}
+		
 		return originalValue;
 	}
 
diff --git a/model/model-impl/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/model/impl/lens/projector/CredentialsProcessor.java b/model/model-impl/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/model/impl/lens/projector/CredentialsProcessor.java
index 7a28b34b80e..ea5e1c83a93 100644
--- a/model/model-impl/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/model/impl/lens/projector/CredentialsProcessor.java
+++ b/model/model-impl/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/model/impl/lens/projector/CredentialsProcessor.java
@@ -428,8 +428,7 @@ private List<PasswordHistoryEntryType> getSortedHistoryList(
 		if (historyEntries.isEmpty()) {
 			return new ArrayList<>();
 		}
-		List<PasswordHistoryEntryType> historyEntryValues = PrismContainerValue
-				.fromPcvList(historyEntries.getValues());
+		List<PasswordHistoryEntryType> historyEntryValues = (List<PasswordHistoryEntryType>) historyEntries.getRealValues();
 
 		Collections.sort(historyEntryValues, new Comparator<PasswordHistoryEntryType>() {
 
diff --git a/model/model-impl/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/model/impl/lens/projector/PasswordPolicyProcessor.java b/model/model-impl/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/model/impl/lens/projector/PasswordPolicyProcessor.java
index 5abaedac3ee..2a2e0050077 100644
--- a/model/model-impl/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/model/impl/lens/projector/PasswordPolicyProcessor.java
+++ b/model/model-impl/src/main/java/com/evolveum/midpoint/model/impl/lens/projector/PasswordPolicyProcessor.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 package com.evolveum.midpoint.model.impl.lens.projector;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.List;
 
 import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
@@ -176,7 +177,7 @@ private <F extends FocusType> List<String> determineOldPasswordValues(PrismObjec
         		return null;
         	}
         	
-        	List<PasswordHistoryEntryType> historyEntryValues = PrismContainerValue.fromPcvList(historyEntries.getValues());
+        	Collection<PasswordHistoryEntryType> historyEntryValues = historyEntries.getRealValues();
         	oldPasswords = new ArrayList<>(historyEntryValues.size());
         	for (PasswordHistoryEntryType historyEntryValue : historyEntryValues) {
         		try {