XBRL International Call for Interest – Functions Working Group

 

22 November 2006

 

This is a call to all those who are interested in participating in an XBRL International Working Group devoted to the topic of an XBRL Functions library to make themselves and their interest known. If you are interested in participating, please send an e-mail to WGAdmin@xbrl.org indicating your interest. In particular, suitable volunteers to Chair the Working Group are being sought so if you are interested in doing so, please could you indicate that in your e-mail.

 

As you might be aware from previous announcements, the XBRL International Standards Board (XSB) has been assessing the various work streams that are being undertaken by the consortium and has determined that a number of Working Groups (WGs) should be formed.  One of these is the Functions WG.

 

The XBRL Functions Working Group is expected to deliver a standard library of XBRL-aware function interfaces and a registry that allows additional functions to be defined from time to time so as to encourage further development of the library in a standard way.  The primary audience for the output of this Working Group would be other Working Groups that are developing specifications that can benefit from the use of such functions, software vendors and in-house developers that produce XBRL 2.1 functions processors and taxonomy authors that want to express functions, either inside XBRL formulae, or elsewhere.

 

The work already done on the functions needed to support the Formula specification is currently being completed by the Formula WG given their dependency on its completion.  However, it is hoped that further work on building a Functions library will be done in this, separate, working group (in consultation, obviously, with all stakeholders, including other WGs).

 

The XBRL Standards Board has set out certain minimum criteria that, it is believed, are necessary for a Working Group to function effectively, and these are documented in detail in the Consultation Draft of the Processes and Procedures document. This document was previously distributed for comment and is available (to XBRL consortium participants) at www.xbrl.org/XSB/.  Once there is sufficient interest declared such that it is believed that these criteria can be met, a formal “Call for Participation” will be issued.

 

Please note that membership of XII Working Groups is restricted to XBRL Participants (essentially employees of XBRL member organisations). If you are not eligible under this criterion then consider having your employer join your local jurisdiction of XBRL International or, if there is not a local jurisdiction, as a Direct Member (see www.xbrl.org/HowToJoin/  for more information).

 

 

Announced by:

Hugh Wallis

Standards Development – XBRL International

 

 

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