XBRL-based structured digital financial reporting - Blog: Digital Financial Reporting (using XBRL)

Accountants, do you dispute any of the following mathematical relations between accounting concepts? If so, which ones would you dispute?

Assets = Liabilities + Equity
Assets = Liabilities And Equity
Assets= Current Assets + Noncurrent Assets
Noncurrent Assets = Assets - Current Assets
Equity= Equity Attributable To Parent + Equity Attributable To Noncontrolling Interest
Current Assets= Assets - Noncurrent Assets
Liabilities= Current Liabilities + Noncurrent Liabilities
Liabilities And Equity = Liabilities + Commitments And Contingencies + Temporary Equity + Equity
Noncurrent Liabilities = Liabilities - Current Liabilities
Liabilities = Liabilities And Equity - Equity
Net Cash Flows = Net Cash Flows Operating Activities + Net Cash Flows Investing Activities + Net Cash Flows Financing Activities + Net Cash Flows Discontinued Operations + Exchange Gains (Losses)
Net Cash Flows Operating Activities = Net Cash Flows Operating Activities Continuing Operations + Net Cash Flows Operating Activities Discontinued Operations
Net Cash Flows Investing Activities = Net Cash Flows Investing Activities Continuing Operations + Net Cash Flows Investing Activities Discontinued Operations
Net Cash Flows Financing Activities = Net Cash Flows Financing Activities Continuing Operations + Net Cash Flows Financing Activities Discontinued Operations
Net Cash Flows Discontinued Operations = Net Cash Flows Operating Activities Discontinued Operations + Net Cash Flows Investing Activities Discontinued Operations + Net Cash Flows Financing Activities Discontinued Operations
Net Cash Flows Continuing Opertaions = Net Cash Flows Operating Activities Continuing Operations + Net Cash Flows Investing Activities Continuing Operations + Net Cash Flows Financing Activities Continuing Operations
Gross Profit = Revenues - Costs Of Revenues
Operating Income (Loss) = Gross Profit - Operating Expenses + Other Operating Income (Multi-step approach)
Operating Income (Loss) = Revenues - Costs And Expenses + Other Operating Income (Single-step approach)
Income (Loss) Before Equity Method Investments = Operating Income (Loss) + Nonoperating Income (Loss) - Interest And Debt Expense
Income (Loss) From Continuing Operations Before Tax = Income (Loss) Before Equity Method Investments + Income (Loss) From Equity Method Investments
Income (Loss) From Continuing Operations After Tax = Income (Loss) From Continuing Operations Before Tax - Income Tax Expense (Benefit)
Net Income (Loss) = Income (Loss) From Continuing Operations After Tax + Income (Loss) From Discontinued Operations + Extraordinary Items Of Income (Loss)
Net Income (Loss) = Net Income (Loss) Attributable To Parent + Net Income (Loss) Attributable To Noncontrolling Interest
Comprehensive Income (Loss) = Net Income (Loss) + Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

While the majority of SEC XBRL financial filings do in fact comply with these mathematical relations between accounting concepts, some do not.

Further it can be hard to reliably extract information from SEC XBRL financial filings because pieces are not reported. For example, few SEC filers actually report the concept "Noncurrent assets". Now, it is easy to compute that value, "Noncurrent assets = Assets - Current assets". Easy enough.

However, it is WAY safer to have as much information provided and NOT have to impute values based on other values. This can lead to errors. Or said another way, it is best if two approaches to computing a value exist and both are used and checked against the other to be safe that you are interpreting information correctly.

Even if an SEC filer does not report a value such as noncurrent assets, it can be helpful in checking your work to have that concept to verify computations.