Tools for a new generation of scholarly edition unified by a TEI-based interchange format

We report on experience gained from our ongoing multiyear project to produce an Electronic Variorum Edition of Cervantes' Don Quixote de la Mancha. Initially designed around a custom database representation, the project's evolution has lead to the adoption of a TEI-based format for information interchange among the project's major components. We discuss the mechanics of this approach and its benefits.