More Consistent Filing Rules
Filing rules are crucial for reporting programmes as they define the specific technical requirements of the filing system. Preparers and software vendors need to ensure that their XBRL reports comply with these filing rules and are not invalidated at the point of submission. Over the years data collectors have adopted different practices for defining and publishing these filing rules.
XBRL International has published draft guidance on best practices for preparing and publishing filing rules. The draft guidance has been created by the Filing Manual Task Force, working under XBRL International’s Best Practice Board.
The guidance explains the need for filing rules in an XBRL programme, provides a list of common classes of filing rules, identifies categories of filing rules that are not recommended, and provides recommendations on how to publish filing rules consistently. It calls for minimising filing rules to enhance software interoperability and make them more reusable across markets.
Please send your feedback and comments on this draft guidance to the task force. The task force is also working on a detailed filing rules checklist to be used as a reference by data collectors. If you are interested in sharing your experience, the task force would very much like to hear from you.
