The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) has recently introduced online data search function of the SSE 50 Index constituents over the past 2 years on its website. Data files, organized in XML format, can be extracted by software tool for analysis, solving the problem in PDF documents where read-only data can't be extracted. Investors can search for list companies' general information, major financial data, and detailed data including balance sheets, statements of profit appropriation and statements of cash flow, and analyze the same accounting titles of different companies online. Moreover, data files of relevant companies are also available for download.

At the end of 2002, the China Securities Regulatory Commission began to organize personnel from the SSE, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and some software companies such as Shanghai New Lido Data Technology Co., Ltd., to study the XBRL standard in the international business reporting field and stipulate the "Electronic Information Disclosure Specification for Listed Companies" (the Specification) in line with China's national conditions, which has already been approved by the China Finance Standardization Technical Committee. The SSE, under the framework and system formulated by the Specification, has adopted the XBRL standard to its listed companies' disclosure of the abstracts of annual reports of 2003, the first quarter reports of 2004 and the abstracts of semi-annual reports of 2004. Moreover, data disclosure of the SSE 50 Index constituents aims to better solicit the opinions and suggestions of investors and intermediaries on XBRL standard.