diff --git a/src/lib/common/xundump.c b/src/lib/common/xundump.c
index 5426c47c..cd903ade 100644
--- a/src/lib/common/xundump.c
+++ b/src/lib/common/xundump.c
@@ -87,7 +87,6 @@ static int may_trunc;		/* Okay to truncate? */
 
 static int gripe(char *, ...) ATTRIBUTE((format (printf, 1, 2)));
 static int deffld(int, char *, int);
-static int defellipsis(void);
 static int chkflds(void);
 static int setnum(int, double);
 static int setstr(int, char *);
@@ -158,22 +157,6 @@ tbl_seek(int id)
     return 0;
 }
 
-/*
- * Get the next object.
- * Must not have a record index.
- * Store it in cur_obj, and set cur_id accordingly.
- * Return 0 on success, -1 on failure.
- */
-static int
-tbl_next_obj(void)
-{
-    int max_id = ef_id_limit(cur_type);
-
-    if (cur_id >= max_id)
-	return gripe("Too many rows");
-    return tbl_seek(cur_id + 1);
-}
-
 /*
  * Omit ID1..ID2-1.
  * Reset the omitted objects to default state.
@@ -214,43 +197,54 @@ expected_id(int id1, int id2)
 /*
  * Get the next object, it has record index ID.
  * Store it in cur_obj, and set cur_id accordingly.
- * Ensure we're omitting the same objects as the previous parts.
  * Reset any omitted objects to default state.
  * Return 0 on success, -1 on failure.
  */
 static int
 tbl_skip_to_obj(int id)
 {
-    struct empfile *ep = &empfile[cur_type];
     int prev_id = cur_id;
-    int max_id, exp_id;
+    int max_id;
 
-    if (partno == 0) {
-	if (!may_omit_id && id != cur_id + 1)
-	    return gripe("Expected %d in field %d", cur_id + 1, 1);
-	if (id <= cur_id)
-	    return gripe("Field %d must be > %d", 1, cur_id);
-	max_id = ef_id_limit(cur_type);
-	if (id > max_id)
-	    return gripe("Field %d must be <= %d", 1, max_id);
-    } else {
-	exp_id = expected_id(cur_id + 1, ep->fids);
-	if (exp_id < 0)
-	    return gripe("Table's first part doesn't have this row");
-	else if (id != exp_id)
-	    return gripe("Expected %d in field %d,"
-			 " like in table's first part",
-			 exp_id, 1);
-    }
+    if (CANT_HAPPEN(partno != 0))
+	return -1;
+    if (!may_omit_id && id != cur_id + 1)
+	return gripe("Expected %d in field %d", cur_id + 1, 1);
+    if (id <= cur_id)
+	return gripe("Field %d must be > %d", 1, cur_id);
+    max_id = ef_id_limit(cur_type);
+    if (id > max_id)
+	return gripe("Field %d must be <= %d", 1, max_id);
 
     if (tbl_seek(id) < 0)
 	return -1;
 
-    if (partno == 0)
-	omit_ids(prev_id + 1, id);
+    omit_ids(prev_id + 1, id);
     return 0;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Get the next object.
+ * Store it in cur_obj, and set cur_id accordingly.
+ * Return 0 on success, -1 on failure.
+ */
+static int
+tbl_next_obj(void)
+{
+    int next_id;
+
+    if (partno == 0) {
+	if (cur_id >= ef_id_limit(cur_type))
+	    return gripe("Too many rows");
+	next_id = cur_id + 1;
+    } else {
+	next_id = expected_id(cur_id + 1, empfile[cur_type].fids);
+	if (next_id < 0)
+	    return gripe("Table's first part doesn't have this row");
+    }
+    return tbl_seek(next_id);
+}
+
 /*
  * Finish table part.
  * If the table has variable length, truncate it.
@@ -378,8 +372,9 @@ xufldname(FILE *fp, int i)
     case '.':
 	if (getc(fp) != '.' || getc(fp) != '.')
 	    return gripe("Junk in header field %d", i + 1);
-	if (defellipsis() < 0)
-	    return -1;
+	if (i == 0)
+	    return gripe("Header fields expected");
+	ellipsis = 1;
 	ch = skipfs(fp);
 	if (ch != EOF && ch != '\n')
 	    return gripe("Junk after ...");
@@ -563,29 +558,6 @@ deffld(int fldno, char *name, int idx)
     return 1;
 }
 
-/*
- * Record that header ends with ...
- * Set ellipsis and is_partial.
- * Return 0 on success, -1 on error.
- */
-static int
-defellipsis(void)
-{
-    struct castr *ca = ef_cadef(cur_type);
-
-    if (ca[0].ca_table != cur_type || (ca[0].ca_flags & NSC_EXTRA))
-	return gripe("Table %s doesn't support ...", ef_nameof(cur_type));
-    ellipsis = 1;
-    return 0;
-}
-
-/* Is table split into parts? */
-static int
-is_partial(void)
-{
-    return ellipsis || partno;
-}
-
 /*
  * Check fields in xdump are sane.
  * Return 0 on success, -1 on error.
@@ -600,13 +572,6 @@ chkflds(void)
     if (ca[0].ca_table == cur_type && caflds[0] && fldca[0] != &ca[0])
 	res = gripe("Header field %s must come first", ca[0].ca_name);
 
-    if (is_partial()) {
-	/* Need a join field, use 0-th selector */
-	if (!caflds[0])
-	    res = gripe("Header field %s required in each table part",
-			ca[0].ca_name);
-    }
-
     if (ellipsis)
 	return res;		/* table is split, another part expected */
 
@@ -683,7 +648,7 @@ setnum(int fldno, double dbl)
 	return -1;
 
     if (fldno == 0) {
-	if (ca->ca_table == cur_type) {
+	if (partno == 0 && ca->ca_table == cur_type) {
 	    /* Got record index */
 	    next_id = (int)dbl;
 	    if (next_id != dbl)
diff --git a/tests/empdump/errors.err b/tests/empdump/errors.err
index 3af703ca..54258d3a 100644
--- a/tests/empdump/errors.err
+++ b/tests/empdump/errors.err
@@ -2,11 +2,8 @@ tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-amb:2: Header m of field 3 is ambiguous
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-dup:2: Duplicate header name in field 2
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-dup2:6: Duplicate header name in field 3
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-dup3:2: Duplicate header pkg(0) in field 8
-tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis:2: Header field uid required in each table part
+tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis:2: Header fields expected
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis2:2: Junk after ...
-tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis3:2: Table infrastructure doesn't support ...
-tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis4:2: Header field uid required in each table part
-tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis5:2: Table sect doesn't support ...
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-eof:2: Unexpected EOF
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-first:2: Header field uid must come first
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-idxbig:2: Header pkg(99) index out of bounds in field 7
@@ -22,7 +19,6 @@ tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-miss:2: Header field uid missing
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-miss:2: Header field ctype(2) missing
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-miss:2: Header fields camt(0) ... camt(2) missing
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-miss:2: Header field nllag missing
-tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-miss2:21: Header field uid required in each table part
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-miss2:21: Header fields ctype(0) ... ctype(2) missing
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-miss2:21: Header fields camt(0) ... camt(2) missing
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-miss2:21: Header field type missing
@@ -75,7 +71,7 @@ tests/empdump/xundump-errors/fld-nosymset:2: Field 1 doesn't take symbol sets
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/fld-sep:2: Bad field separator after field 1
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/fld-strbig:3: Field 19 takes at most 9 characters
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/fld-unexpid:6: Table's first part doesn't have this row
-tests/empdump/xundump-errors/fld-unexpid1:7: Expected 2 in field 1, like in table's first part
+tests/empdump/xundump-errors/fld-unexpid1:7: Value for field 1 must be 2
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/fld-unksym:2: Unknown level symbol `xxx' in field 11
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/fld-unparen:2: Unmatched '(' in field 19
 tests/empdump/xundump-errors/ftr-fewrows:2: Expected 1024 more rows
diff --git a/tests/empdump/errors.status b/tests/empdump/errors.status
index 3a96297f..7fbeef1b 100644
--- a/tests/empdump/errors.status
+++ b/tests/empdump/errors.status
@@ -69,9 +69,6 @@
 1
 1
 1
-1
-1
-1
 0
 1
 0
diff --git a/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis b/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis
index 3cf6e023..f23f0c8e 100644
--- a/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis
+++ b/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 config product
 ...
-# Header field uid required in each table part
+# Header fields expected
diff --git a/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis3 b/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis3
deleted file mode 100644
index 1cf602ce..00000000
--- a/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis3
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-config infrastructure
-name ...
-# Table infrastructure doesn't support ...
diff --git a/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis4 b/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis4
deleted file mode 100644
index cc65144e..00000000
--- a/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis4
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-config product
-sname name ...
-# Header field uid required in each table part
diff --git a/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis5 b/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis5
deleted file mode 100644
index 1a95aa54..00000000
--- a/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-ellipsis5
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-config sect
-xloc yloc ...
-# Table sect doesn't support ...
-/config
diff --git a/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-miss2 b/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-miss2
index 044641ed..11948969 100644
--- a/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-miss2
+++ b/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/colhdr-miss2
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ uid sname ...
 
 config product
 name
-# Header field uid required in each table part
 # Header fields ctype(0) ... ctype(2) missing
 # Header fields camt(0) ... camt(2) missing
 # Header field type missing
diff --git a/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/fld-unexpid1 b/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/fld-unexpid1
index fe85f50b..14f4f485 100644
--- a/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/fld-unexpid1
+++ b/tests/empdump/xundump-errors/fld-unexpid1
@@ -5,5 +5,5 @@ uid ...
 config ship
 uid ...
 1
-# Expected 2 in field 1, like in table's first part
+# Value for field 1 must be 2
 /config