FAQ - Sofista

1. How can I save a file?

It is possible to save a partially completed file, that does not yet satisfy all the logical and arithmetic checks. Before you can save a file, it has first to be validated by clicking on the option 'Validation' that can be found in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. As soon as a file can be saved, i.e. after being validated, the 'save' option is activated and becomes clearly visible. Saving an unfinished file is possible, but in this case, only the save option marked 'Working file (.xtmp)' is activated. This working file cannot be filed itself.

2. What size can an enclosed PDF file have?

Sofista allows files in PDF format to be imported into some predetermined zones:

  • the shareholder structure (maximum file size = 500 k)
  • the auditor's report (maximum file size = 500 k)
  • the annual report (maximum file size = 1500 k).

However, Sofista does not verify the content of the PDF files (e.g. controls on the presence of tags or Javascripts) during the import.

The full XBRL file, including the enclosed PDF files, may not be bigger thanĀ 3 MB; files of more thanĀ 3 MB are not accepted by the application 'Filing'.

3. In which format should the date be made up?

All fields that contain a date are provided with a calendar icon. This makes it possible to search a date with the help of a calendar with which the correct format is selected automatically.

You can also fill in the date directly yourself. In this case, you must follow the prescribed format: yyyy-mm-dd (for instance: 2015-06-01 means 1 June 2015). When you fill in a date under another format, you cannot continue to a following section. When you want to go on to the next section or confirm the data, a red box will appear around the zones that have not been filled in correctly. Before you can go any further, you must first correct the date format.

4. In which format and unit should the figures be made up?

Data in the form of figures are entered without a point or comma for the thousands. The decimal sign is the 'point' on the number pad of the keyboard.

The euro unit with no decimal point is the general rule both for filing and publishing annual accounts, whether in the abbreviated model or full model. However, to make it easier to recover data from the bookkeeping, annual accounts that are to be filed electronically in XBRL-format may be expressed in units of euros without or with two decimal places. This second possibility enables the person filing the annual accounts to create an automatic link to his accounting data without having to check the rounding up or down of the figures. After being accepted by the NBB and validated with the help of the logical and arithmetic checks (to the nearest eurocent), the data will be rounded off by the NBB application to the nearest unit, for publication in PDF format.

In the part marked 'Company/association identification data', Sofista shows the identification data concerning the legal person whose company number has been entered in the main screen and which appears in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE or KBO/BCE). If the legal form does not show up on the screen, that means that it does not feature in the list of most common legal forms.

If the legal status of your company, association or foundation does not come up in the list of different legal forms, then you have to add the legal status after the name of the legal person and select 'Other legal status'. In this way, the annual accounts still contain all the necessary information.

6. What's the meaning of compulsory fields?

Certain data, such as the identification details of the legal person whose annual accounts are being filed are required to be filled in. The fields in question are indicated with a red asterisk (*) on the right of the zone to be completed. Compulsory fields that are not filled in are shown up in a red box as soon as you try to go onto the next screen and have to be completed before you can go any further.