Resolve a validation error
Who does this: XBRL Preparer · XBRL Reviewer · Senior Accountant · Platform Admin When: A validation run produced one or more
ERROR-severity failing rows; filing is atVALIDATION_FAILED. Result: The mapping or source data is corrected; re-running validation landsVALIDATION_PASSED.
Steps
- Open the filing → Validation tab.
- Click the Errors pane.
- For each error:
- Read
message— most errors include concrete numbers and identify the offending elements. - Read
relatedElements— these are the taxonomy elements the rule consulted.
- Read
- Trace each related element to its line item: open Mappings; filter by element id; the source page + line on the line item points back to the originating source-document location.
Common patterns
| Rule category | Typical fix |
|---|---|
arithmetical | Subtraction / addition inconsistency within a statement. Verify the contributing line items; one of them is mapped wrong or has a wrong sign |
totalling | Subtotal does not equal sum of components. Check whether a contributing line item was double-counted or missed |
cross_statement | A figure on one statement disagrees with the corresponding figure on another. Often equity-closing vs SOCE-closing |
mandatory | A required element is not mapped. Open Mappings; find or create a line item; confirm the missing element |
sign_convention | A balance = credit element resolved to a debit value (or vice versa). Check the source statement and the line-item normalisation |
format | Monetary value precision / date format issue. Usually a parser quirk on the source document; re-upload a cleaner source |
Iterate
After fixing:
- Re-run validation.
- The
XbrlValidationResultrows replace by(filingId, ruleId). - If the same error persists, the underlying data is still wrong or the rule expression is misinterpreting — see Validation loops.
When to escalate
If the same error keeps failing after 3 iterations or feels like the rule expression is wrong, escalate to Senior Accountant. The team has the option to flag the rule for an ACRA conversation; this is rare but legitimate.