PLATINUM XBRL-based Financial Report Examples

In 1494 Luca Pacioli documented the Venetian Method of double-entry bookkeeping and that documentation was used to implement that best practices method first in Europe and then around the world.  The Seattle Method and Mastering XBRL-based Digital Financial Reporting is my best effort to enhance the Venetian Method for the Information Age.

Need a simpler more condensed "jump start".  Have a look at my new Platinum Examples.  See below.

Over the years I have created a plethora of examples and samples of XBRL-based digital financial reports.  You can find these on my "lab notebook" (my older blog).  The best set of examples are on this specific blob post, "The End (Start Here)".  The set of "Golden Examples" is what helped me tune the Seattle Method and my contributions to the Standard Business Report Model (SBRM).

The set of examples below, what I call my PLATINUM Examples, were explicitly created to follow the very best practices of the Seattle Method.  This set of examples minimizes duplication, maximizes consistency, and provides the most complete set of examples that can be used for testing software applications and training accountants to understand XBRL-based digital financial reporting.  These examples are deliberately created, rigorously tested, and provide a complete foundation for understanding XBRL-based financial reports.

The examples start with what can be thought of as very small financial reporting schemes and then get progressively larger, trying to introduce a manageable set of new ideas incrementally.  This helps those trying to teach and those trying to learn absorb information. You can see each report example here: AE, SFAC6, SFAC8, Common, MINI, PROOF, XASB, AASB1060. (Download all)

Here are the details for each of the example reports organized by financial reporting scheme prototype:

  • Accounting Equation (ae), an extremely basic example financial reporting scheme. This small example helps you grasp the fundamentals using the minimal number of moving parts.
  • SFAC 6 (sfac6), builds upon the accounting equation, uses the ten elements of a financial report defined by the FASB to introduce the notion of "structures".
  • SFAC 8 (sfac8), builds upon SFAC6, introduces the notion of alternative disclosures and the use of reporting styles to manage flexibility.  Also introduces the idea of a reference report that is used to make certain that a taxonomy is functioning properly.
  • Common Elements of Financial Report (common), builds upon SFAC8, adding a cash flow statement to provide something that begins to look more like a real financial statement. Helps to consolidate the notions of alternative disclosures and reporting styles.
  • MINI Financial Reporting Scheme (mini), builds upon the ideas of prior examples finally showing something that looks much, much more like a real financial report. This example has primary financial statements that look "real" and introduces basic policies and disclosures.  The focus here is showing the logical relations between financial report pieces and consolidating your understanding of "roll ups" and "roll forwards".  To keep this simple, only one reporting style is used.
  • PROOF Financial Reporting Scheme (proof), rounds out the fundamentals by introducing the notion of "dimensions" and adding a complete set of information model patterns that you will run across when working with XBRL-based digital financial reports.
  • AASB 1060 (aasb1060), complete representation of about 20% of a real financial reporting scheme
After you have mastered the ideas from the above progressively more sophisticated examples, then have a look at the larger examples provided in the GOLDEN Examples of General Purpose Financial Reports.  In particular, explore the AASB 1060 financial reporting scheme which is a complete example of about 20% of a real financial reporting scheme XBRL taxonomy represented using the ideas you learned from the PLATINUM EXAMPLES above. (Try this enhanced approach to providing information about a financial reporting scheme.

In addition to the progressively more complex examples above, a Hello World! example is also provided.

These particularly helpful resources below can be helpful in working through this information:
  • ZIP archive which includes all the report renderings
  • Documentation of the Platinum Examples in one PDF
  • Improved version of Essentials of XBRL-based Digital Financial Reporting which is a work in progress that tries to simplify the earlier version of this documentation and replaces the older examples with these PLATINUM examples.
  • Auditchain Suite can be used to create the reports above.  Import files are provided, but it is best to practice by creating the reports manually.  The Auditchain Pacioli Power User Tool can be used to verify reports.
  • Pesseract can be used for viewing the reports.  Contract me if you need a Pesseract license.
  • General Luca is another cloud based software application which can be used.
  • Arelle is an open source API and GUI that is a fully compliant XBRL processor.  Arelle is more focused on the XBRL technical syntax and does not support the higher-level features provided by the Seattle Method related to XBRL-based digital financial reporting.  But Arelle is helpful in verifying your XBRL technical syntax.  Note that both Auditchain Pacioli and Luca make use of Arelle in their software stack.
  • Showcase of Reports helps you understand where all this XBRL-based digital financial reporting can go.  This will show you the real capabilities of XBRL-based reporting.
What is next?  Try Mastering XBRL-based Digital Financial Reporting.  That 700 page trove of information should keep you occupied for awhile.

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