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Which source fields make a historical financial record reproducible?
Save the identity, concept, dates, unit and filing details that make a historical financial row traceable.
Keep the record attached to its source
A reproducible historical note identifies the filer, taxonomy concept, value and unit, exact period, source form, filing date and accession. The company’s display name and a year heading alone do not identify the fact that another person should check.
Keep whether the fact is an instant or duration explicit. Retain the actual filing fiscal-year and fiscal-period metadata separately from the fact’s own dates. A source link should lead to the relevant submission rather than only to a general company page.
Document selection and uncertainty
If a reference selects one observation among several, record that selection method. Keep missing values unavailable and preserve any unit, period or concept distinction instead of making the table appear more complete through silent assumptions.
Also record when the source was retrieved or checked if that information is known. An unknown retrieval date should remain unknown. The full Apple row below illustrates the fields retained in this historical reference without asserting a fresh source check.
Reported source example
Apple Inc. · CIK 320193 · Total assets
| Reported value | Unit | Period type | Start | End | Concept | Filed | Filing FY / FP | Frame | Source filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 364980000000 | USD | instant | Not a duration | 2024-09-28 | us-gaap:Assets | 2025-10-31 | 2025 / FY | CY2024Q3I | 10-K · 0000320193-25-000079 |