HData Compliance Overview
HData Compliance helps automate quarterly and annual FERC filing preparation.
By automatically converting your staged values in the Excel Upload Template to the required XBRL format via import, you can benefit from fast, accurate filing—without the need for specialized XBRL coding expertise.
This article serves as an introductory user guide for those owning the filing process. Also see guides for:
Step 1: Preparing the Filing
Follow the steps below to help you and your team prepare to file your FERC forms.
This overview covers steps for creating new documents based on your specific reporting requirements, adjusting form settings, adding users with defined permissions, and downloading the Excel Import Form.
1A) Create a New Document
From the main screen of the HData Compliance app, navigate to and click the “Editor” button. 
Here, you’ll find a list of instance documents that your organization can access. 
In the upper right-hand corner, click “Create New Document” to choose the XBRL Taxonomy for the form you are preparing. 
When prompted, create a name for the document, select your Company name, and the filing period information. Then click “Create.”
Note: If you need to resubmit a form from a prior taxonomy, to choose that taxonomy when you create the form.
Then, fill in the requested data and click the "Create" button. The new form is blank and ready for roll-forward.
1B) Roll Forward
This step will automatically bring in values from a previous filing of your choosing, to populate the “Prior Year” data in your new form.
From the “Import” menu, select “Roll-forward.” 
This will open a list of previously filed forms. From the list, select the prior filing that you want to roll information forward from, and click “Import Facts.”
When the roll-forward is complete, the Balance Sheet, for example, will have the “Prior Year” column populated with the as-filed data from the prior filing you selected.
The “Current Year” columns will remain blank.
1C) Review and Update Settings
To give your core team, preparers, and reviewers access to the form, you will start with the document open.
From the “Document” menu, select “Share.” 
This will open the “Privileges” window. Here, you can set each user’s permissions for the document and by section as needed.
Options include:
- Is reviewer: Can review the form and make comments, but has no edit permissions
- Can write: Can edit the form and validate
- Owner: Can share the form with more users, file for form, and delete the form from the list of forms in the Editor; additionally, can set permissions for other users
1D) Download the Excel Import Form
From the “Export” menu, select “Templates” and then select “Excel.” 
This will produce an Excel template designed to stage final numbers for upload into HData. Numbers in this template will be automatically tagged with XBRL when uploaded.
Step 2: Populating the Filing
2A) Monitor Progress
Schedules are created automatically each time a new Instance Document is created. The indicators on the schedule make it easy to track the status of work in each of the schedules as it happens.
To view status at the document level, navigate to the “Editor” screen, locate the form, then click on the “Progress %” button.
To view status at the schedule level, open the document, navigate to the “Document” menu, and select “Schedule Status.” This will open the view of the audit log for the schedule being viewed. This is only available for the document OWNER.
2B) Validating and Clearing Errors
After all of the required information has been added, you—the Filing Process Owner—should validate the document to ensure there are no errors.
To do this, select the “Document” menu, then click “Validate.” This will automatically check XBRL against taxonomy rules, leveraging the same XBRL validation tool as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission uses (Xule XBRL Validation).
Once validation finishes, if there are errors, you can view them by navigating to the “Document” menu, which expands the Form outline. 
2C) Tag the Draft in Revision History
You can easily mark a version of your draft document as a milestone to refer back to and compare against future revisions.
With the document open, navigate to the “Document” menu and select “Versioning.”
This will open the “History of document versions” view on the right side of the screen. Select “Create.” Then, give the version a name and click “Create” once more.
2D) Save as a PDF
To save the document as a PDF file, start with the document open in the Editor. Then, click the “Export” button and select “iXBRL.” 
You will get a notification that the export is in progress. 
Open the resulting download in Chrome or your preferred browser.
From your browser’s “File” menu, select “Print.” Choose the "Save as PDF" option. Then, adjust the "More Settings" options as follows:
- Set “Margins” to “None”
- For “Scale,” select “Custom” and set it to 87
Note: As shown in this example, when margins are set to default, the table doesn’t fully show on the page.
2E) Send for Review and Obtain Final Sign Off
Based on the specific requirements for your organization and the processes you defined during the pre-filing preparation phase, circulate the document for review with all required stakeholders.
Step 3: Submitting Tests and Live Filings to FERC
3A) Submit a Test Filing
In order to send a test filing to FERC, you will need to enter the appropriate FERC API Access Credentials.
As a reminder, you should check your credentials each quarter to ensure that they have not changed or expired. From the HData platform landing page, navigate to the “Compliance” app. Then select “FERC API Access Credentials.” Enter your FERC API Access Credentials (username, password, and company ID). 
Navigate to the Editor and locate the document you wish to submit to the FERC. To the far right of the document, locate and select the menu button and choose “Edit” to access the web-based FERC form.
After all of the required information has been added, you—the Filing Process Owner—should validate the document to ensure there are no errors.
Validate the document to ensure there are no errors. Once validation finishes, if there are errors, you can view them by navigating to the menu button, which expands the Form outline.
To do this, select the “Document” menu, then click “Validate.” This will automatically check XBRL against taxonomy rules, leveraging the same XBRL validation tool as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission uses (Xule XBRL Validation).
Once validation finishes, if there are errors, you can view them by navigating to the “Document” menu, which expands the Form outline. 
Once the validation is error-free, you are ready to submit a test file. From the Document menu, select “Send.”
You will be prompted to complete a three-step process. Under the first step (“List of filings for this document”), you will see a list of the test and live filings that have completed on the document that is currently open. Select “Send this document to FERC.” 
Under step two (“Select access credential”), choose the appropriate username for the submitting user and click “Next.” Click “Send” on the bottom right corner of the screen to complete the submission process. 
Finally, when you begin step three (“Confirm filing”), you will see a notification window pop up on your screen to confirm that your submission is a test filing and that the document is valid and error free.
Note: If you attempt to test file while the document is not error free, a notification will alert you and ask if you are sure you want to send the document to FERC.
You will receive a notification in the platform once you have successfully completed your test filing to the FERC.
3B) Submit a Live Filing
If any changes have been made to the document since your last test submission, repeat the validation and test filing process to verify no errors were introduced into the form. Next, toggle the “Test filing” pill button to the off position to make this a live filing. Like so:
Click “Send” to complete the process.
Note: The FERC will send you an email confirming that your test filing was reviewed and approved by the FERC. The email contains an Accession number—this is proof of receipt from the FERC. However, you will not see your live filing on FERC or in the HData Library until the FERC has reviewed and approved it.
3C) Save as a PDF
To save the document as a PDF file, start with the document open in the Editor. Then, click the “Export” button and select “iXBRL.” You will get a notification that the export is in progress. Open the resulting download in Chrome or your preferred browser. From your browser’s “File” menu, select “Print.” Choose the "Save as PDF" option. Then, adjust the "More Settings" options as follows:
- Set Margins to “None”
- For “Scale,” select “Custom” and set it to 87
Questions? Let Us Know
Hopefully this article gave you all the information you needed to be successful with the HData Compliance app. If you still need help, please reach out to us at
this article gave you all the information you needed to be successful with the HData Visual Analysis app. If you still need help, please reach out to us at support@hdata.us.