diff --git a/core-plugins/pom.xml b/core-plugins/pom.xml
index fcbf95697..70644a501 100644
--- a/core-plugins/pom.xml
+++ b/core-plugins/pom.xml
@@ -279,12 +279,6 @@
       <groupId>org.mockito</groupId>
       <artifactId>mockito-core</artifactId>
     </dependency>
-      <dependency>
-          <groupId>io.cdap.plugin</groupId>
-          <artifactId>format-xls</artifactId>
-          <version>${project.version}</version>
-          <scope>test</scope>
-      </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>io.cdap.plugin</groupId>
       <artifactId>format-xls</artifactId>
diff --git a/format-xls/src/main/java/io/cdap/plugin/format/xls/input/XlsInputFormat.java b/format-xls/src/main/java/io/cdap/plugin/format/xls/input/XlsInputFormat.java
index 155f75bec..0b79787f6 100644
--- a/format-xls/src/main/java/io/cdap/plugin/format/xls/input/XlsInputFormat.java
+++ b/format-xls/src/main/java/io/cdap/plugin/format/xls/input/XlsInputFormat.java
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 
 package io.cdap.plugin.format.xls.input;
 
-import com.google.common.base.Preconditions;
 import io.cdap.cdap.api.data.format.StructuredRecord;
 import io.cdap.cdap.api.data.schema.Schema;
 import io.cdap.plugin.format.input.PathTrackingInputFormat;
@@ -48,7 +47,7 @@
  */
 public class XlsInputFormat extends PathTrackingInputFormat {
 
-  public static final String SHEET_NO = "Sheet Number";
+  public static final String SHEET_NUM = "Sheet Number";
   public static final String SHEET_VALUE = "sheetValue";
   public static final String NAME_SKIP_HEADER = "skipHeader";
   public static final String TERMINATE_IF_EMPTY_ROW = "terminateIfEmptyRow";
@@ -58,10 +57,10 @@ protected RecordReader<NullWritable, StructuredRecord.Builder> createRecordReade
           FileSplit split, TaskAttemptContext context, @Nullable String pathField,
           @Nullable Schema schema) throws IOException {
     Configuration jobConf = context.getConfiguration();
-    boolean skipFirstRow = jobConf.getBoolean(NAME_SKIP_HEADER, true);
+    boolean skipFirstRow = jobConf.getBoolean(NAME_SKIP_HEADER, false);
     boolean terminateIfEmptyRow = jobConf.getBoolean(TERMINATE_IF_EMPTY_ROW, false);
-    Schema outputSchema =  schema != null ? Schema.parseJson(context.getConfiguration().get("schema")) : null;
-    String sheet = jobConf.get(SHEET_NO);
+    Schema outputSchema = schema != null ? Schema.parseJson(context.getConfiguration().get("schema")) : null;
+    String sheet = jobConf.get(SHEET_NUM);
     String sheetValue = jobConf.get(SHEET_VALUE, "0");
     return new XlsRecordReader(sheet, sheetValue, outputSchema, terminateIfEmptyRow, skipFirstRow);
   }
diff --git a/format-xls/src/main/java/io/cdap/plugin/format/xls/input/XlsInputFormatProvider.java b/format-xls/src/main/java/io/cdap/plugin/format/xls/input/XlsInputFormatProvider.java
index 4b98cf74f..bedcb48a3 100644
--- a/format-xls/src/main/java/io/cdap/plugin/format/xls/input/XlsInputFormatProvider.java
+++ b/format-xls/src/main/java/io/cdap/plugin/format/xls/input/XlsInputFormatProvider.java
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
-import java.util.Objects;
 import javax.annotation.Nullable;
 
 
@@ -84,12 +83,7 @@ public void validate(FormatContext context) {
     if (!conf.containsMacro(XlsInputFormatConfig.NAME_SHEET_VALUE) &&
             conf.getSheet().equals(XlsInputFormatConfig.SHEET_NUMBER) &&
             !Strings.isNullOrEmpty(conf.getSheetValue())) {
-      try {
-        Integer.parseInt(conf.getSheetValue());
-      } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
-        collector.addFailure("Sheet number must be a number.", null)
-                .withConfigProperty(XlsInputFormatConfig.NAME_SHEET_VALUE);
-      }
+      getSheetAsNumber(collector);
     }
     if (!conf.containsMacro(PathTrackingConfig.NAME_SCHEMA) && schema == null && context.getInputSchema() == null) {
       collector.addFailure("XLS format cannot be used without specifying a schema.", "Schema must be specified.")
@@ -99,7 +93,7 @@ public void validate(FormatContext context) {
 
   @Override
   protected void addFormatProperties(Map<String, String> properties) {
-    properties.put(XlsInputFormat.SHEET_NO, conf.getSheet());
+    properties.put(XlsInputFormat.SHEET_NUM, conf.getSheet());
     if (!Strings.isNullOrEmpty(conf.getSheetValue())) {
       properties.put(XlsInputFormat.SHEET_VALUE, conf.getSheetValue());
     }
@@ -122,15 +116,9 @@ public Schema detectSchema(FormatContext context, InputFiles inputFiles) throws
         Sheet workSheet;
         // Check if user wants to access with name or number
         if (conf.getSheet() != null && conf.getSheet().equals(XlsInputFormatConfig.SHEET_NUMBER)) {
-          int sheetValue = 0;
-          if (!Strings.isNullOrEmpty(conf.getSheetValue())) {
-            try {
-              sheetValue = Integer.parseInt(conf.getSheetValue());
-            } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
-              failureCollector.addFailure("Sheet number must be a number.", null)
-                      .withConfigProperty(XlsInputFormatConfig.NAME_SHEET_VALUE);
-              return null;
-            }
+          Integer sheetValue = getSheetAsNumber(failureCollector);
+          if (sheetValue == null) {
+            return null;
           }
           workSheet = workbook.getSheetAt(sheetValue);
         } else {
@@ -204,4 +192,20 @@ public Schema detectSchema(FormatContext context, InputFiles inputFiles) throws
     return null;
   }
 
+  private Integer getSheetAsNumber(FailureCollector failureCollector) {
+    if (!Strings.isNullOrEmpty(conf.getSheetValue())) {
+      try {
+        int sheetValue = Integer.parseInt(conf.getSheetValue());
+        if (sheetValue >= 0) {
+          return sheetValue;
+        }
+        failureCollector.addFailure("Sheet number must be a positive number.", null)
+                    .withConfigProperty(XlsInputFormatConfig.NAME_SHEET_VALUE);
+      } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
+        failureCollector.addFailure("Sheet number must be a number.", null)
+                .withConfigProperty(XlsInputFormatConfig.NAME_SHEET_VALUE);
+      }
+    }
+    return null;
+  }
 }
diff --git a/format-xls/src/main/java/io/cdap/plugin/format/xls/input/XlsRowConverter.java b/format-xls/src/main/java/io/cdap/plugin/format/xls/input/XlsRowConverter.java
index 2d0ee046f..c7e8a8d8b 100644
--- a/format-xls/src/main/java/io/cdap/plugin/format/xls/input/XlsRowConverter.java
+++ b/format-xls/src/main/java/io/cdap/plugin/format/xls/input/XlsRowConverter.java
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 import org.apache.poi.ss.usermodel.Row;
 
 import java.util.List;
+import javax.annotation.Nullable;
 
 /**
  * Converts a row of XLS cells to a StructuredRecord.
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ public class XlsRowConverter {
    * Converts a row of XLS cells to a StructuredRecord.
    * Returns null if the row is null or empty.
    */
+  @Nullable
   public StructuredRecord.Builder convert(Row row, Schema outputSchema) {
     if (row == null) {
       return null;
@@ -49,12 +51,7 @@ public StructuredRecord.Builder convert(Row row, Schema outputSchema) {
     boolean isRowEmpty = true;
     StructuredRecord.Builder builder = StructuredRecord.builder(outputSchema);
     List<Schema.Field> fields = outputSchema.getFields();
-    for (int cellIndex = 0; cellIndex < row.getLastCellNum(); cellIndex++) {
-      if (cellIndex >= fields.size()) {
-        throw new IllegalArgumentException(
-                String.format("Schema contains fewer fields than the number of columns in the excel file. " +
-                        "Schema fields: %s, Excel columns: %s", fields.size(), row.getLastCellNum()));
-      }
+    for (int cellIndex = 0; cellIndex < row.getLastCellNum() && cellIndex < fields.size(); cellIndex++) {
       Cell cell = row.getCell(cellIndex, Row.MissingCellPolicy.RETURN_BLANK_AS_NULL);
       if (cell == null) {
         // Blank cells are skipped, builder will set null for the field, no processing needed.
@@ -75,6 +72,7 @@ public StructuredRecord.Builder convert(Row row, Schema outputSchema) {
           cellValue = getCellAsBoolean(cell);
           break;
         default:
+          // As we only support string, double and boolean, this should never happen.
           throw new IllegalArgumentException(
                   String.format("Field '%s' is of unsupported type '%s'. Supported types are: %s",
                           field.getName(), type, "string, double, boolean"));