diff --git a/common/src/main/java/org/phoenixctms/ctsms/fileprocessors/xls/RowProcessor.java b/common/src/main/java/org/phoenixctms/ctsms/fileprocessors/xls/RowProcessor.java
index 90ef2f790362..b66d702fa6fb 100644
--- a/common/src/main/java/org/phoenixctms/ctsms/fileprocessors/xls/RowProcessor.java
+++ b/common/src/main/java/org/phoenixctms/ctsms/fileprocessors/xls/RowProcessor.java
@@ -140,6 +140,39 @@ public final int processRow(Cell[] row, long rowNumber) throws Throwable {
 
 	protected abstract int processRow(String[] values, long rowNumber) throws Throwable;
 
+	public final boolean preCheck(Cell[] row) throws Throwable {
+		if (row != null && row.length > 0) {
+			boolean commented = false;
+			String[] values = new String[row.length];
+			for (int i = 0; i < row.length; i++) {
+				String value = "";
+				if (row[i] != null && !commented) {
+					value = row[i].getContents();
+					if (value != null) {
+						if (useComments && (acceptCommentsIndex == null || acceptCommentsIndex == i)) {
+							int commentPos = value.indexOf(commentChar);
+							if (commentPos >= 0) {
+								value = trimValues ? value.substring(0, commentPos).trim() : value.substring(0, commentPos);
+								commented = true;
+							} else {
+								value = trimValues ? value.trim() : value;
+							}
+						} else {
+							value = trimValues ? value.trim() : value;
+						}
+					}
+				}
+				values[i] = value;
+			}
+			return preCheck(values);
+		}
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	protected boolean preCheck(String[] values) throws Throwable {
+		return false; // stop
+	}
+
 	protected boolean processHeaderRow(String[] values) throws Throwable {
 		return false;
 	}
diff --git a/common/src/main/java/org/phoenixctms/ctsms/fileprocessors/xls/XlsImporterBase.java b/common/src/main/java/org/phoenixctms/ctsms/fileprocessors/xls/XlsImporterBase.java
index dd415d022e68..99a27e5d137e 100644
--- a/common/src/main/java/org/phoenixctms/ctsms/fileprocessors/xls/XlsImporterBase.java
+++ b/common/src/main/java/org/phoenixctms/ctsms/fileprocessors/xls/XlsImporterBase.java
@@ -58,6 +58,12 @@ protected long readRows(XlsImporterContext context, String encoding, RowProcesso
 						rowCount += processor.processRow(row, lineNumber);
 					}
 					lineNumber++;
+					for (int i = 1; i < sheetRowCount; i++) {
+						row = sheet.getRow(i);
+						if (!processor.preCheck(row)) {
+							break;
+						}
+					}
 					for (int i = 1; i < sheetRowCount; i++) {
 						row = sheet.getRow(i);
 						rowCount += processor.processRow(row, lineNumber);
diff --git a/core/src/exec/java/org/phoenixctms/ctsms/executable/xls/EcrfFieldRowProcessor.java b/core/src/exec/java/org/phoenixctms/ctsms/executable/xls/EcrfFieldRowProcessor.java
index ca6765a3097e..dae8d3c595a9 100644
--- a/core/src/exec/java/org/phoenixctms/ctsms/executable/xls/EcrfFieldRowProcessor.java
+++ b/core/src/exec/java/org/phoenixctms/ctsms/executable/xls/EcrfFieldRowProcessor.java
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ public class EcrfFieldRowProcessor extends RowProcessor {
 	private int jsValueExpressionColumnIndex;
 	private int jsOutputExpressionColumnIndex;
 	private int notifyColumnIndex;
+	private boolean noRefs;
 	private HashMap<String, HashMap<String, Set<ECRFFieldInVO>>> ecrfFieldMap;
 	private HashMap<String, HashMap<String, ECRF>> ecrfMap;
 	@Autowired
@@ -72,6 +73,7 @@ public EcrfFieldRowProcessor() {
 		super();
 		filterDupes = false;
 		acceptCommentsIndex = 0;
+		noRefs = true;
 		ecrfFieldMap = new HashMap<String, HashMap<String, Set<ECRFFieldInVO>>>();
 		ecrfMap = new HashMap<String, HashMap<String, ECRF>>();
 	}
@@ -224,6 +226,7 @@ public void init() throws Throwable {
 		jsValueExpressionColumnIndex = JS_VALUE_EXPRESSION_COLUMN_INDEX;
 		jsOutputExpressionColumnIndex = JS_OUTPUT_EXPRESSION_COLUMN_INDEX;
 		notifyColumnIndex = NOTIFY_COLUMN_INDEX;
+		noRefs = true;
 		ecrfFieldMap.clear();
 		ecrfMap.clear();
 		((XlsImporter) context.getImporter()).loadInputFields(context);
@@ -271,10 +274,12 @@ protected int processRow(String[] values, long rowNumber) throws Throwable {
 		ECRFField ecrfField = null;
 		if (ecrf != null) {
 			try {
-				if (CommonUtil.isEmptyString(ref)) {
+				if (noRefs) {
 					ecrfField = eCRFFieldDao.findByEcrfSectionPosition(ecrf.getId(), section, position).iterator().next();
 				} else {
-					ecrfField = eCRFFieldDao.findByEcrfRef(ecrf.getId(), ref).iterator().next();
+					if (!CommonUtil.isEmptyString(ref)) {
+						ecrfField = eCRFFieldDao.findByEcrfRef(ecrf.getId(), ref).iterator().next();
+					}
 				}
 			} catch (NoSuchElementException e) {
 			}
@@ -340,4 +345,10 @@ protected boolean testNotNullRowFields(String[] values, long rowNumber) {
 		}
 		return true;
 	}
+
+	@Override
+	protected boolean preCheck(String[] values) throws Throwable {
+		noRefs &= CommonUtil.isEmptyString(getRef(values));
+		return noRefs;
+	}
 }