Accounting and Auditing Research and Databases: Practitioner's Desk Reference

Navigating the Codification

The Codification opening screen appears in Exhibit 2-10. There are five tabs: “Browse,” “What's New,” “Recently Issued,” “Cross Reference,” and “Join Sections.” The “Browse” tab is presented last since it leads into a detailed discussion following this section.

1. “What's New” includes information by date, topic, or document for various time periods, up to one year.

2. “Recently Issued” organizes recently issued content by date.

3. “Cross Reference” allows the researcher to cross-reference between the original archived standards and the Codification. This is very useful for researchers familiar with prior GAAP levels. For instance, as demonstrated in Exhibit 2-11, the researcher selects a Standard Type (APB, EITF, FIN, etc.) from a drop-down menu. The Standard Number drop-down menu is populated based upon the Standard Type selection. The researcher then left-clicks the “Generate Report” button to produce a report cross-referencing each standard paragraph to the Codification.

4. “Join Sections” allows the researcher to select multiple topics and display those choices in one document. For instance, the researcher can select a Topic and Section utilizing a drop-down menu as displayed in Panel A of Exhibit 2-12. The researcher can choose to include or exclude intersection subtopics and choose between FASB, SEC, or all material. By left-clicking the “Get Sections” button, a report is generated as shown in the bottom half of Panel A of Exhibit 2-12. The ...