Through its official website　(), the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) recently provided the brief XBRL instance documents of the 1st quarter reports of 2006 of all the SSE-listed companies, realizing the side-by-side disclosure of XBRL instance documents and PDF documents. By the software tool on the website, market participants can obtain the first-hand formatted information disclosed by listed companies in periodical reports and conduct online multi-dimensional analysis. The event marks the development of the SSE's XBRL project from exploration and promotion to the application phase.

It is learnt that investors may download instance documents by clicking on the "XBRL Instance Document Download" button under the quick navigation bar on the left side of the SSE's homepage. They can also extract data and make comparative analyses between different periods and different listed companies by using the tools provided in the "XBRL Pilot Project" column under the quick navigation bar.

According to an official of the SSE Listed Company Department, the specific marking and taxonomy of the XBRL instance documents towards the financial data of listed companies have facilitated the information processing and statistical analysis, making possible such applications as cross-platform utilization, multi-format output, quick and accurate searching and data tracking.

The comprehensive promotion of XBRL instance documents in the information disclosure of listed companies on the SSE this time will enable the processors and users of listed-company information, including listed company supervision authorities, accounting firms, investors, research institutions and securities information service providers, to realize generation, extraction, analysis, exchange and sharing of information in a more cost-effective manner.

The official also said that the SSE's further promotion of XBRL application embodies not only the SSE's spirit of exploration and innovation but also its efforts in protecting investors' interests and continually improving the means and connotations of its services.

Tip:

XBRL, the abbreviation for eXtensible Business Reporting Language, is one kind of application of XML (Extensible Markup Language) in the information exchange of financial reports. As the latest standard and technology in the unstructured information processing, especially the financial information processing, its application in the securities industry will enable the sharing and inter-operation of listed companies' information in the securities industry and across industries, and further standardize an orderly development of the information disclosure of China's listed companies and the securities information service industry, therefore realizing the on-line information disclosure of listed companies. As China's securities market expands and the financial field further opens up, domestic and foreign investors are paying increasing attention to the financial and operational conditions of listed companies. As a result, the extensive application of XBRL will satisfy the increasingly higher requirements by various institutions and individuals to listed companies' information disclosure, and will reveal greater economic and social value in the long run.