Here is the send part of the interview with Mr. Daniel Roberts CEO of raas-XBRL, the past Chairman of the XBRL US Steering mittee, and member of the XBRL International Assurance Working Group.

7. Do you have experience with another project outside the USA that you would single out as particularly interesting? uld you mpare that project with the SEC XBRL Mandate?

The two that immediately me to mind are the HMRC project in the UK and the SBR project in Australia. HMRC is progressing with an ‘easy in’ for the first year (mandated)  for financial statements that are associated with tax returns. They have started with a “minimum set” of required data to be tagged, and have gone so far as to provide a web based template for smaller mpanies.  In Australia the focus is on building XBRL into the entire reporting structure to ernment, to drive process efficiencies throughout the enomy, where the private enomy touches ernment. These are both wide ranging projects, certainly wider ranging than the SEC project.

Unfortunately we’re also seeing New Zealand step even further back from XBRL. nsidering the disproportionate number of Kiwis involved in XBRL around the world, it is sad to see it not take root in Wellington.

8. How do you evaluate the work of the XBRL International and the support it provides to the local anizations and world-wide projects?

XBRL International is of urse the owner of the standard and runs the XSD (XBRL Standards Board) and other working groups (such as the Assurance Working Group, a personal favorite). The biggest problem with XII is that it is and remains chronically underfunded. Years ago I gave the inming CEO one piece of advice – build a program to achieve global adoption, then price the program, then go to the ISC and say, these are the resources we need to acmplish the program.

The latest Strategic Plan is a great step in that direction, although possibly a little meek. But it is still a great step. Of urse, it is no secret that I think the proposed ernance changes will not solve the problems of underfunding and lack of active volunteer support. And no matter how it is worded, keeping the Board of Directs responsible for resourcing the anization (i.e. responsible for funding) is, frankly, silly. The CEO is responsible for funding the anization, through growing membership, faster response times to the needs of the jurisdictions, and programs funded out of a growing pool of revenue and funds.

For example, the iXBRL dialect of XBRL should have me from the XSD, not from the user mmunity. The Europeans called for a versioning standard for years, yet the chronic lack of funding and volunteers forced jurisdictions to begin developing their own versioning standards. This is a new standard, founded on and using XBRL as its re. Either XII steps up and gets in front of the needs of the market, or XII will find itself playing catch-up.

Certainly the ISC (International Steering mittee) and ernance of the anization requires a major overhaul, and an overhaul is ming. Unfortunately I have little faith that it will solve the fundamental problems facing XII.

9. Are you and your mpany currently engaged on any of the projects which have to do with the XBRL?

As a matter of fact we are. One of the biggest challenges, as I’ve already mentioned, is the ming wave of filers with the SEC and the lack of experts, the st, the time involved and the mplexity of the standard, software and tools that are available. We’ve entered that market, quietly in the past few months, specifically because we believe that doesn’t need to be the case.

raas-XBRL takes the mplexity out of mpliance with the SEC’s XBRL mandate. We do this through the application of state of the art software and processes, skilled people and a longstanding mmitment to XBRL.

10. Not to discuss the same ic again, I have one question not nnected with the XBRL for the end. Can you remmend any good book which you have read lately?

For years now I’ve been reading a series of murder mysteries by Michael Jecks called “the last templar” series. They are set in the 1316 – 1326 (for far) and follow a few characters as they investigate murders, mpletely in a middle-ages, southwest England ntext. Very clever, and full of real historical information, which I think is vital. Of urse, I also always have a history or some facet of Carthage nearby.