diff --git a/include/aare/Hdf5File.hpp b/include/aare/Hdf5File.hpp
index 5c0fbd2..4f16c79 100644
--- a/include/aare/Hdf5File.hpp
+++ b/include/aare/Hdf5File.hpp
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ struct H5Handles {
   std::vector<hsize_t> count;
   std::vector<hsize_t> offset;
 
-  H5Handles(const std::string& fname, const std::string& dname, int rank):
+  H5Handles(const std::string& fname, const std::string& dname):
     file_name(fname),
     dataset_name(dname),
     file(fname, H5F_ACC_RDONLY),
@@ -28,9 +28,8 @@ struct H5Handles {
     dataspace(dataset.getSpace()),
     datatype(dataset.getDataType())
   {
-    if (dataspace.getSimpleExtentNdims() != rank) {
-      throw std::runtime_error(LOCATION + "Expected rank of " + dname + " dataset to be " + std::to_string(rank) + ". Got " + std::to_string(dataspace.getSimpleExtentNdims()));
-    }
+    // get dimensions
+    int rank = dataspace.getSimpleExtentNdims();
     dims.resize(rank);
     dataspace.getSimpleExtentDims(dims.data(), nullptr);
 
@@ -41,6 +40,13 @@ struct H5Handles {
     // header datasets
     if (rank == 1) {
       memspace = std::make_unique<H5::DataSpace>(H5S_SCALAR);
+    }  
+    // header virtual datasets
+    else if (rank == 2) {
+      hsize_t dimsm[1] = {dims[1]};
+      memspace = std::make_unique<H5::DataSpace>(1, dimsm);
+      count.push_back(dims[1]);
+      offset.push_back(0);
     } 
     // data dataset
     else {
diff --git a/src/Hdf5File.cpp b/src/Hdf5File.cpp
index 635ab02..2eaa360 100644
--- a/src/Hdf5File.cpp
+++ b/src/Hdf5File.cpp
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ DetectorHeader Hdf5File::read_header(const std::filesystem::path &fname) {
     std::vector<std::unique_ptr<H5Handles>> handles;
     try {
         for (size_t i = 0; i != header_dataset_names.size(); ++i) {
-            handles.push_back(std::make_unique<H5Handles>(fname.string(), metadata_group_name+ header_dataset_names[i], 1));
+            handles.push_back(std::make_unique<H5Handles>(fname.string(), metadata_group_name+ header_dataset_names[i]));
         }
         handles[0]->get_frame_into(0, reinterpret_cast<std::byte *>(&(h.frameNumber)));
         handles[1]->get_frame_into(0, reinterpret_cast<std::byte *>(&(h.expLength)));
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ void Hdf5File::open_data_file() {
         throw std::runtime_error(LOCATION +
                                  "Unsupported mode. Can only read Hdf5 files.");
     try {
-        m_data_file = std::make_unique<H5Handles>(m_master.master_fname().string(), metadata_group_name + "/data", 3);
+        m_data_file = std::make_unique<H5Handles>(m_master.master_fname().string(), metadata_group_name + "/data");
 
         m_total_frames = m_data_file->dims[0];
         m_rows = m_data_file->dims[1];
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ void Hdf5File::open_header_files() {
                                  "Unsupported mode. Can only read Hdf5 files.");
     try {
         for (size_t i = 0; i != header_dataset_names.size(); ++i) {
-            m_header_files.push_back(std::make_unique<H5Handles>(m_master.master_fname().string(), metadata_group_name + header_dataset_names[i], 1));
+            m_header_files.push_back(std::make_unique<H5Handles>(m_master.master_fname().string(), metadata_group_name + header_dataset_names[i]));
             //fmt::print("{} Dataset dimensions: size = {}\n",
              //      header_dataset_names[i], m_header_files[i]->dims[0]);
         }