[Gnue] What is EDIFACT GL

[Todd Boyle]

Zack Coffin (XBRL Liaison) said, 
> 
> Frankly... we are at the early stages of working on XBRL G/L.  So, in 
> short, we don't have any answers for you.  It's a work in progress.  
> That said, I am particularly keen on leveraging the very good work of 
> EDIFACT G/L in Europe, and we are pursuing this angle as a starting 
> point.

The EDIFACT GL messages are certainly a puzzle.  There is nothing
on the internet that explains them in plain english-- no tutorials,
no context, etc.   Whatever exists is aimed TOTALLY at the EDI 
community.  In other words, all documentation says "Dear EDI person
who already knows EDI:  Here is a message format for sending GL
transactions.  Good Bye."

  CHACCO   chart of accounts
  ENTREC   accounting entries
  BALANC   to transmit trial balances
  LEDGER   to transmit part or the complete Ledger.

See http://www.unece.org/trade/untdid/d00a/content.htm and click 
 [Message types by name]  This will take you to
http://www.unece.org/trade/untdid/d00a/trmd/trmdi2.htm

Click on ENTREC Accounting entries message, which takes you to
http://www.unece.org/trade/untdid/d00a/trmd/entrec_c.htm
And you will see that the accounting entries seem to have
a rigorously defined EDI header which is universally used
in EDI, plus a rich network of 9 segment sections, with
hierarchies of 3-character codes which only a few levels are
apparent on this ENTREC document.  The documentation for
the data elements continues on other documents, which then
continue endlessly connected to other EDIFACT documents. 

In other words, you have entered Lewis Carrolls' rabbit hole,
go ahead, click around for a few minutes.  You will pick it
up.   It is a vast and interconnected, multidimensional,
seamless, whole.

In case you are confused, here is a nice [BRANCHING DIAGRAM]
http://www.gefeg.com/edifact/d00a.un/naty/mb22.htm

Here are some more reading materials.
http://www.fee.be/hi-lites/hi03-edi.htm
http://www.edifact-wg.org/EWG%20Subworking%20Groups/ewg_d14.htm
http://www.edifact-wg.org/images/ewg_d17.gif
http://www.unece.org/trade/cnnct/ref941.htm

I am finished looking at ENTREC and CHACCO etc.  I'm going back
to work on my flatfile array general ledger, ymmv,

* Todd F. Boyle CPA    http://www.GLDialtone.com/
* address@hidden    Kirkland WA    (425) 827-3107
* XML accounting, web ledgers, BSPs, ASPs, whatever it takes