Interesting article on Accountancy Age today about the looming iXBRL deadline, "iXBRL likened to Y2K".  Whilst the headline is slightly reactionary, and maybe reflects on the quoted parties own concerns about having a product in the market today, there are similarities between March 31 2011 and January 1st 2000.   Normally IT projects and their risks are mitigated by extensive testing.  I have no technical worries about xbrl or indeed ixbrl, the former is used globally and the latter is easily tested by having your own ixbrl to xbrl "sausage machine" as we have affectionately named ours!  The bigger risk is in the resourcing.  Already, with 18 months to go we are hearing that the availability of the HMRC's SDS team will be stretched thinner as deadline day approaches.  Reports as recent as last week suggest that they can't even verify that the correct tags are being used such is the demand on their time.  These are very helpful people, but I'd be interested to hear how many of them given the iXBRL deadline have been granted leave to take their Summer holidays this year.  Early adoption is the only real answer.  Thorough testing, ironing out problems, getting ready to file NOW - that's the Arkk Solutions approach.  Sure the deadline means a great deal, but the early adopters will be the ones who can relax.  If you could have reassurance that a solution worked 12 months + before the mandatory deadline, wouldn't you want that?  Read the full article at
http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/news/2256157/ixbrl-likened-y2k