Disclosure Best Practices Microsoft Access Database Application Prototype
Monday, January 22, 2018 at 02:42PM
Charlie in Becoming an XBRL Master Craftsman

This ZIP archive contains a little Microsoft Access 2010 Database application (prototype) that I created.  If you don't have Microsoft Access 2010 or greater, you can download a runtime version of Access here.

This video shows you what the application does.  Basically, the application provides a number of best practice examples of US GAAP disclosures.  I have provided 33 disclosures.

What the application does is let you look at best practice disclosure examples like these for public companies that have provided that disclosure, like these.

Why this is interesting is that you can easily extract specific examples from XBRL-based financial reports of public companies that file with the SEC.  I am showing 33 disclosures, but you can do the same thing for EVERY disclosure.

I have a much, much better application that I created, but it uses XBRL Cloud's web service.  But to use that, you need a username and a password which you have to get from XBRL Cloud.  I removed all the functionality that I had used from XBRL Cloud and therefore all the features provided by XBRL Cloud, such as the ability to click on all elements and get Accounting Standards Codification references, concept definitions, etc.

What I want to do is create a more complete version of this application and make it available to intermediate accounting students.  If anyone is interested in helping out with this little project, let me know.

Article originally appeared on XBRL-based structured digital financial reporting (http://xbrl.squarespace.com/).
See website for complete article licensing information.