XBRL

XBRL refers to a file format in which financial information (financial settlement data, etc.) is listed in XML language. Abbreviation of “eXtensible Business Reporting Language”.

Outline
Since eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) is written in XML, the computer readability of individual financial data (financial figures) is high. If all financial data are stored in XBRL, a variety of analyses can be easily executed, such as analyzing monthly changes, making comparisons with other companies, and calculating ratios such as sales to total assets. For this reason, XBRL has been increasingly adopted by countries around the world, including the United States, European countries, China and Japan, as a means for enhancing disclosure systems such as the internal control reporting system. As XBRL is progressively adopted by a wide range of users, significant changes are likely to occur in the way companies disclose information and conduct audits.

History

 * Oct. 1999: First XFRML management committee held.
 * Apr. 2000: Name of management committee changed from XFRML to XBRL.
 * Jul. 2000: XBRL version 1.0 released.
 * Feb. 2000: First XBRL international conference held in London.
 * Dec. 2001: XBRL version 2.0 released.
 * Dec. 2003: XBRL International and XBRL version 2.1 released.

XBRL in Japan
XBRL promotional activities have been initiated in Japan since the establishment of XBRL Japan in April 2001.

Definition provided by the Financial Services Agency
XBRL: A computer language that is internationally standardized to facilitate the efficient creation, distribution, and use of financial information. XBRL presents the exact details of financial reports based on taxonomies, the electronic templates of financial reports.

Examples
XBRL has been adopted by the EDINET of the Financial Services Agency and the TDnet of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Many other organizations have also established systems using XBRL.


 * EDINET of the Financial Services Agency
 * TDnet of the Tokyo Stock Exchange
 * e-Tax of the National Tax Agency
 * Exchanging data from monthly balance sheets using XBRL between the Bank of Japan and approximately 500 financial institutions
 * Electronic loan application system of ShinGinko Tokyo

History in Japan

 * Apr. 1998: TDnet of the Tokyo Stock Exchange begins operating.
 * Jun. 2004: EDINET of the Financial Services Agency begins operating.
 * Mar. 2008: EDINET of the Financial Services Agency adopts XBRL. (Disclosure documents associated with fiscal years commencing after April 1, 2008)
 * Jul. 2008: Tokyo Stock Exchange fully adopts XBRL for TDnet.
 * Sep. 2008: The National Tax Agency begins operating e-Tax compatible with XBRL 2.1.

Note  TDnet: Timely Disclosure network

Note  EDINET: The Electronic Disclosure for Investors’ NETwork, an electronic disclosure system for disclosure documents associated with financial reports and other related documents stipulated in the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law.

Relationships with BPM
Because individual data produced by operational processing are automatically calculated without human involvement, there is a reduced risk of material misstatements in documents associated with financial calculations. Processes for directly connecting BPMS and other systems with the accounting system have been investigated, along with ways of reducing administrative costs.

Related Articles

 * Calculation Documents
 * Internal Control Reporting System
 * Statements of Account