XBRL For Dummies

Introduction 1

Part I: The Very Least You Need to Know about XBRL 7

Chapter 1: Wrapping Your Head Around XBRL 9

Chapter 2: Taking to Heart the Essential Concepts of XBRL 31

Chapter 3: Glancing at XBRL’s Parts 49

Chapter 4: An XBRL Primer 69

Chapter 5: Pinning Down How XBRL Affects You 97

Part II: Embracing XBRL for Classic Challenges and New Possibilities 109

Chapter 6: Exchanging Business Information 111

Chapter 7: Feeding the Business Information-Supply Chain 131

Chapter 8: Seeing the Transformation of Business Information Exchange 145

Part III: Successfully Pursuing and Executing an XBRL Project 155

Chapter 9: Exploring the Common Uses of XBRL 157

Chapter 10: Making Your Own Business Case for XBRL 171

Chapter 11: Evaluating Different Approaches to Implementing XBRL185

Chapter 12: Considering How to Implement Your XBRL Solution 195

Chapter 13: Complying with the SEC Mandate 217

Part IV: Working with XBRL Taxonomies and Instances 225

Chapter 14: Finding Tools and Services to Make XBRL Work 227

Chapter 15: Creating and Using XBRL 249

Chapter 16: Differentiating XBRL Modules 277

Chapter 17: Digging Deeper into XBRL Taxonomies 299

Chapter 18: Understanding the XBRL Instance 325

Chapter 19: Predicting What XBRL Will Become 347

Part V: The Part of Tens 359

Chapter 20: Ten (or So) Ways to Flatten the XBRL Learning Curve 361

Chapter 21: (Nearly) Ten Keys to Understanding How XBRL Works 369

Chapter 22: Top Ten Technical Odds and Ends 377

Index 391