Authoring EAD Documents:

As SGML or XML, EAD is a complicated looking programming language. To actually write out EAD code, with all its brackets, dashes, periods, and numbers, would be extremely consuming, even for an experienced programmer.

Naturally, a solution has been found in the creation of programs where archivists can enter metadata elements like title, description, creation year, etc in fields, and then have the program translate the fields into SGML or XML. These programs are referred to as "Authoring Software."

Authoring Software varies archive to archive. Some archives will use special XML/SGML editors. ASCII text editors, like Notepad, work as well. From what I have read, adaptations of Microsoft Access may be the most commonly used. According to my boss at the Jewish Historical Society, the technology moves very quickly. (in fact, EAD only recently switched from SGML to XML)

If an archives can afford it, a native SGML/XML editor may be the best bet. These are programs which free an archivist from actually having to write the complicated SGML/XML code himself or herself. In these programs, the code is automatically generated, and all the archivist has to do is type the names, titles, dates, etc. There are other specialized native editors called "tree structured" editors. Interface Electronics' Internet Archivist is the best known EAD-specific program. There are many XML and SGML programs available which are not written for EAD, but can be used for EAD.