title: Pentaho PDI how to validate source Excel metadata for the order and number of columns?
body: <p>In my case, I need to process input data in Excel (xls and xlsx) format. I need to do a file level validation of the Excel file for the order and number of columns, before processing the row level data. If this file level validation is failed, then exclude this file and inform the concerned through mail.</p>
  
  <p>Please guide me, with some sample or example, how to validate the excel files for metadata? I thought of placing a variable in kettle.properties with semicolon separated  header fields and compare this with the source excel file. But not getting a way to extract only the header row from file as I want.</p>
  
  <p>Please guide me.</p>