Administration Guide › Content Registration › Using Content Agents to Detect Spreadsheets

Using Content Agents to Detect Spreadsheets

CA DataMinder content agents can usually detect when a user tries to copy or send a protected spreadsheet. For example, you can use content agents to block emails where the sender has attached a protected spreadsheet.

File Detection and Text Detection content agents can both detect protected spreadsheet files if they are unchanged. For example, they can detect when a user attaches the spreadsheet to an email.

Text Detection agents can also detect protected spreadsheets with minor edits (for example, a spreadsheet that contains some cells with updated values). In addition, they can detect when a user copies multiple rows from a protected spreadsheet into a new spreadsheet.

However, Text Detect agents cannot reliably detect when a user copies cell ranges from a protected spreadsheet into a different document format. For example, they may fail to detect when a user copies a range of cells into an email. This is particularly likely if the copied cells include hidden rows or columns because the pasted cell range omits the hidden cells and so no longer matches the spreadsheet fingerprint.