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Time Periods

In CDM XBRL, you can define time periods that you want to associate with a project for use in XBRL tagging. A time period can describe different ways of measuring time.

Financial statements can be based on an instance in time (for example, Balance Sheet, as of December 31, 2009). Alternatively, a financial statement could be based across a duration of time (for example, Income Statement, for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2009).

Note: When you create a time period, you specify if it is a duration or an instance that is based on the start and end date that you select. If the start and end dates are both chosen, the time period is a duration. If only the end date is chosen, without a start date, the time period is an instance.

When you create a time period and associate it with a project, it is available to use anywhere in that project. Only the time periods that you select to be included in a report are used when the report is generated.

Add a Time Period

You can use CDM XBRL to add a time period that can be associated with an XBRL project.

  1. Click the Home tab, then in the Navigation Pane, click Administration.
  2. Under XBRL, double-click Time Periods. The Time Periods tab opens in the work area.
  3. Click Home > Add > Time Period.
  4. In the Add Time Period window, specify a name for the time period. The name must be unique. It cannot currently exist in the time period list.
  5. Specify a description for the time period if you want.
  6. In the Type field, select either Duration or Instant.
    • If you select Duration, in the Start Date field, specify the date that represents when the duration of the time period is to begin. In the End Date field, specify the date that represents when the time period duration is to end.
    • If you select Instant, in the Date field, specify the date of the instant time period.
  7. Click OK.

Edit a Time Period

You can use CDM XBRL to edit a time period that is used for an XBRL project.

  1. In the Time Periods tab in the work area, right-click on the time period you want to edit and select Edit.
  2. In the Edit window, change the name and description for the time period.
  3. In the Start Date field, edit the date that represents when the duration of the time period is to begin.
  4. In the End Date field, edit the date that represents when the time period duration is to end.

    Important: The proper time period is assigned during tagging based on the element's property for period type (instant or duration). If the time period is to represent an instant, then do not specify a date in the Start Date field. If no date is specified in the Start Date field, then the date that is specified in the End Date field is used as the instant. You should not change a duration time period to an instant. For example, when you tag your statement of operations to a duration time period (Q1) and then change the Q1 time period to an instant, the same change happens to all items that are tagged. All the elements automatically get transferred to the instant column in the Pivot Grid. Validation errors occur, and you must correct all the tags to which the element is applied.

  5. Click OK.

Generate Multiple Time Periods

You can use CDM XBRL to generate an entire set of commonly used time periods for the end of a fiscal year.

Important: You must associate the time periods with a project so they can be used for taxonomy tagging.

  1. With the Time Periods tab open in the work area, click Home > Generate Time Periods.
  2. In the Generate Time Periods window, specify the Fiscal Year End Date that you want to use as the end date for the new time periods. Multiple dates are generated and listed.
  3. Select the time periods that you want to use for the fiscal year end date you specified.
  4. Click any of the values in the Name column of the selected time periods to change the name.

    Important: Each Name field must have a value. The same name cannot be used for more than one time period.

  5. You can click Reset Names to return the values that you changed in the Name column back to their original values. Names are also reset if you change the time periods.
  6. Click OK.

Delete a Time Period

You can use CDM XBRL to delete a time period that is used for XBRL.

You cannot delete a time period if it is being used in a tag within a report. To delete a time period from a project, you must first remove all tags that use the time period from any reports that are associated with the project.

Important: If you delete a time period, you cannot undo your action. Proceed with caution.

To delete a time period:

  1. In the Time Periods tab in the work area, right-click on the time period you want to delete and select Delete.
  2. Click Delete.

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