diff --git a/src/main/java/com/odiago/flumebase/io/AvroEventParser.java b/src/main/java/com/odiago/flumebase/io/AvroEventParser.java
index 6d0cc51..fa74d76 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/odiago/flumebase/io/AvroEventParser.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/odiago/flumebase/io/AvroEventParser.java
@@ -141,30 +141,33 @@ public boolean validate(StreamSymbol streamSym) {
         schemaFields = mSchema.getFields();
       } catch (AvroRuntimeException are) {
         // This wasn't a record schema, it was a single field or something.
-        LOG.error("Schemas for events must be of record type.");
+        LOG.error("Schemas for events must be of record type. Each column must "
+            + "represent a field of the same name.");
         return false;
       }
       List<TypedField> columnFields = streamSym.getFields();
 
-      if (schemaFields.size() != columnFields.size()) {
-        LOG.error("The schema specified for this stream has a different number "
-            + "of fields than are specified in the stream definition.");
-        return false;
-      }
-
-      for (int i = 0; i < schemaFields.size(); i++) {
+      for (int i = 0; i < columnFields.size(); i++) {
         TypedField col = columnFields.get(i);
         Type colType = col.getType();
-        Schema.Field schemaField = schemaFields.get(i);
-
-        if (!schemaField.name().equals(col.getUserAlias())) {
-          // TODO -- does this matter? We address these fields by index anyway, not by name..
-          // Just warn them.
-          LOG.warn("Column " + col.getUserAlias() + " is aligned with an Avro field "
-              + "with the name: " + schemaField.name());
+        
+        // Get the schema field that matches this column name.
+        Schema.Field schemaField = null;
+        for (Schema.Field testSchemaField : schemaFields) {
+          if (testSchemaField.name().equals(col.getUserAlias())) {
+            schemaField = testSchemaField;
+            break;
+          }
+        }
+        
+        if (null == schemaField) {
+          // Can't find a field in the schema to match the current column.
+          LOG.error("The Avro schema does not contain a field with the same name "
+              + "as column '" + col.getUserAlias() + "'.");
+          return false;
         }
         
-        // More important: are the schemas compatible?
+        // Are the schemas compatible?
         if (!schemaField.schema().equals(colType.getAvroSchema())) {
           boolean warned = false;