The investment objective of the Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio is to achieve long-term capital appreciation. The Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio is a Feeder Portfolio and pursues its objective by investing substantially all of its assets in its corresponding Master Fund, The Emerging Markets Small Cap Series (the "Emerging Markets Small Cap Series") of The DFA Investment Trust Company (the "Trust"), which has the same investment objective and policies as the Portfolio.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Emerging Markets Small Cap Series pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Emerging Markets Small Cap Series' portfolio turnover rate was 18% of the average value of its investment portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

18.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example Closing [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleClosingTextBlock

The Example reflects the aggregate estimated annual operating expenses of the Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio and the Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio's portion of the Emerging Markets Small Cap Series.

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (the "Advisor") believes that equity investing should involve a long-term view and a systematic focus on sources of expected returns, not on stock picking or market timing. In constructing an investment portfolio, the Advisor identifies a broadly diversified universe of eligible securities with precisely-defined risk and return characteristics. It then places priority on efficiently managing portfolio turnover and keeping trading costs low. The Advisor does not intend to purchase or sell securities for the investment portfolio based on prospects for the economy, the securities markets or the individual issuers whose shares are eligible for purchase.

The Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio pursues its investment objective by investing substantially all of its assets in the Emerging Markets Small Cap Series. The Emerging Markets Small Cap Series purchases a broad market coverage of smaller companies associated with each emerging market, which may include frontier markets (emerging market countries in an earlier stage of development), authorized for investment by the Advisor's Investment Committee ("Approved Markets"). The Advisor's definition of small varies across countries and is based primarily on market capitalization. A company's market capitalization is the number of its shares outstanding times its price per share. In each country authorized for investment, the Advisor first ranks eligible companies listed on selected exchanges based on the companies' market capitalizations. The Advisor then defines the maximum market capitalization for a small company in that country. For example, as of December 31, 2011, Brazil had a size threshold of $3,102 million, and Hungary had a size threshold of $639 million. These thresholds will change due to market conditions.

As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Emerging Markets Small Cap Series will invest at least 80% of its net assets in emerging market investments that are designated in the Prospectus as Approved Market securities of small companies.

The Emerging Markets Small Cap Series may gain exposure to companies associated with Approved Markets by purchasing equity securities in the form of depositary receipts, which may be listed or traded outside the issuer's domicile country. The Emerging Markets Small Cap Series and the Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio each may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts for Approved Market or other equity market securities and indices, including those of the United States, to gain market exposure on their uninvested cash pending investment in securities or to maintain liquidity to pay redemptions.

The Emerging Markets Small Cap Series may lend its portfolio securities to generate additional income.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

PRINCIPAL RISKS

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk: Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because of: (a) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (b) less regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities may also be exposed to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar or that a foreign government will convert, or be forced to convert, its currency to another currency, changing its value against the U.S. dollar). The Emerging Markets Small Cap Series does not hedge foreign currency risk.

Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, political, and issuer-specific events will cause the value of securities, and the Emerging Markets Series that owns them, and, in turn, the Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio itself, to rise or fall. Because the value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money.

Small Company Risk: Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of large companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired time or price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In general, smaller capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments and they may have more limited resources.

Emerging Markets Risk: Numerous emerging market countries have a history of, and continue to experience serious, and potentially continuing, economic and political problems. Stock markets in many emerging market countries are relatively small, expensive to trade in and generally have higher risks than those in developed markets. Foreigners are often limited in their ability to invest in, and withdraw assets from, these markets. Additional restrictions may be imposed under other conditions. Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are instruments, such as futures and foreign exchange forward contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates or indices. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered more speculative than other types of investments. When the Emerging Markets Small Cap Series and the Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio use derivatives, the Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio will be directly exposed to the risks of that derivative. Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks including liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio could lose more than the principal amount invested.

Securities Lending Risk: Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Emerging Markets Small Cap Series may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Emerging Markets Small Cap Series could also lose money if it does not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain adverse tax consequences.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

Because the value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart and table immediately following illustrate the variability of the Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio's returns and are meant to provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows the changes in the Portfolio's performance from year to year. The table illustrates how annualized one year, five year and ten year returns, both before and after taxes, compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. The Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio's past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future results. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained by visiting www.dimensional.com.

The after-tax returns presented in the table for the Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold shares of the Portfolio through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.dimensional.com

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

The Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio's past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future results.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio Institutional Class Shares

Total Returns (%)

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock


January 2002-December 2011
Highest Quarter		Lowest Quarter
47.06 (4/09-6/09)		-25.39 (10/08-12/08)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Periods ending December 31, 2011

Annualized Returns (%)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate

Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred

rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred

In addition, the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold shares of the Portfolio through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

EMERGING MARKETS SMALL CAP PORTFOLIO | MSCI Emerging Markets Index (net dividends) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes on sales)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(18.42%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.40%

Ten Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

13.86%

[1]

The "Management Fee" includes an investment management fee payable by the Emerging Markets Small Cap Series and an administration fee payable by the Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio. The amounts set forth under "Other Expenses" and "Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses" reflect the direct expenses of the Emerging Markets Small Cap Portfolio and the indirect expenses of the Portfolio's portion of the expenses of the Emerging Markets Small Cap Series.