Mastering XBRL-based Digital Financial Reporting

A brick wall is made of exactly two things: bricks, mortar.  But a brick wall created by a master craftsman, or mason, and a brick wall created by a “weekend warrior” with no knowledge of masonry will be very different. Master craftsmen are created and that process takes time and effort.

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” Pablo Picasso

Proficiency is the measure of capacity to use something to one’s benefit. There are three levels or categories of profeciency: literacy, fluency, and mastery. Here we focus on mastery.

Do you have the mastery mindset? Are you an artisan fueled by an insatiable desire to master your craft? Here are the resources you need to master XBRL-based digital financial reporting.  Want a quick jumpstart? Read Essentials of XBRL-based Digital Financial Reporting.  Be sure to work through these examples.

A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject exposing the principles of that subject. Consider this my treatise on XBRL-based digital financial reporting. Mastering XBRL-based Digital Financial Reporting helps you to understand how to use the proven good practices of the Seattle Method.

You can start on your own.  Where? Read the chapters below.  It is pretty well organized, pretty current, and I am continually improving it.  There are about 700 pages or so. (This listing of chapters provides a status; the documents are the same as those below.)

Note that you can query these documents using ChatPDF.

The information above will be updated periodically, I will try and keep you informed.

Note that I would encourage people interested in the above to also check out Rise of AiCCOUNTANTS and The XBRL Book: Simple, Precise, Technical.

Prefer videos?  Try the Digital Financial Reporting YouTube.com channel. In particular, the playlists Understanding Financial Report Logical System and Mastering XBRL-based Digital Financial Reporting are a good starting point.

Prefer to learn by example and reverse engineering?  See: 

Prefer to understand the big picture first, then dive into the details?  I would suggest starting with Logical Theory Describing Financial Report.

Also see this blog post for information about mastering XBRL-based digital financial reporting.

The target is the professional accountant who understands accounting and is not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get their hands a little dirty with the technology.

Learning Options

There are many different approaches to obtaining this information.

  • Self Study.  This is a low cost option and it takes longer; but you can do it at your pace, within your budget, and to the degree you want.  We will help show you the path to understanding XBRL right here.
  • Premium self study kit.  Rather than sorting through all the stuff on this blog, contact me and I will give you one ZIP file that has everything you need.
  • Supported Study.  You study on your own, but we have support options available to supplement your efforts to learn XBRL.
  • Saturation Study.  Come to a one week class and get up to speed fast.
  • Custom Classes.  If your organization would like to train a number of individuals, we can help you.
  • Support.  If all you need is support from time to time, we can provide that option also.
  • Apprenticeship Programs. Study under an expert. We can set you up with an apprenticeship program.

For more information on any of these options, please contact Charles.Hoffman@me.com.  These classes can be given in your area if you desire.  Also, there are opportunities for train the trainer type classes.