# Content tab

![Microsoft Excel Input step Content tab](/files/ux3oM06948mvHIE8wGca)

Use **Content** tab to configure which data values to retrieve. The following options are available:

| Option                 | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Header**             | Select if the sheets specified in the **Sheets** tab contain a header row to skip.                                                                                                                            |
| **No empty rows**      | Select if you do not want empty rows to appear in the output of this step.                                                                                                                                    |
| **Stop on empty rows** | Select to stop reading the current sheet of a file when an empty line is encountered.                                                                                                                         |
| **Limit**              | Specify a limit on the number of records generated from this step. Results are not limited when set to zero.                                                                                                  |
| **Encoding**           | Specify which text file encoding to use. Leave this option blank to use the default system encoding. On first use, PDI searches your system for available encodings. To use Unicode, specify UTF-8 or UTF-16. |


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.pentaho.com/pdia-data-integration/10.2-data-integration/pdi-transformation-steps-reference-overview/microsoft-excel-input/options-microsoft-excel-input/content-tab.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.