Programming the Perl DBI

One of the greatest strengths of the Perl programming language is its ability to manipulate large amounts of data. Database programming is therefore a natural fit for Perl, not only for business applications but also for CGI-based Web and Intranet applications.

The primary interface for database programming in Perl is DBI. DBI is a database-independent package that provides a consistent set of routines regardless of what database product is in use — Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix, you name it. DBI separates the actual database drivers (DBDs) from the programmer's API, so any DBI program can work with any database, or even with multiple databases by different vendors simultaneously.

For the uninitiated, the book explains the architecture of DBI and explains how to write DBI-based programs. For the DBI-expert, this book explains DBI's nuances and the peculiarities of each individual DBD.

The book covers:

• Understanding DBI and its design
• Constructing queries and binding parameters
• Working with database, driver, and statement handlers
• Debugging techniques
• Using each existing DBD

In addition, Programming the Perl DBI contains a complete reference to DBI.

1. Introduction
• From Mainframes to Workstations
• Perl
• DBI in the Real World
• A Historical Interlude and Standing Stones
2. Basic Non-DBI Databases
• Storage Managers and Layers
• Query Languages and Data Functions
• Standing Stones and the Sample Database
• Flat-File Databases
• Putting Complex Data into Flat Files
• Concurrent Database Access and Locking
• DBM Files and the Berkeley Database Manager
• The MLDBM Module
• Summary
3. SQL and Relational Databases
• The Relational Database Methodology
• Datatypes and NULL Values
• Querying Data
• Modifying Data Within Tables
• Creating and Destroying Tables
4. Programming with the DBI
• DBI Architecture
• Handles
• Data Source Names
• Connection and Disconnection
• Error Handling
• Utility Methods and Functions
5. Interacting with the Database
• Issuing Simple Queries
• Executing Non-SELECT Statements
• Binding Parameters to Statements
• Binding Output Columns
• do() Versus prepare()
• Atomic and Batch Fetching
6. Advanced DBI
• Handle Attributes and Metadata
• Handling LONG/LOB Data
• Transactions, Locking, and Isolation
7. ODBC and the DBI
• ODBC — Embraced and Extended
• DBI — Thrashed and Mutated
• The Nuts and Bolts of ODBC
• ODBC from Perl
• The Marriage of DBI and ODBC
• Questions and Choices
• Moving Bteween Win32::ODBC and the DBI
• And What About ADOP
8. DBI Shell and Database Proxying
• dbish — The DBI Shell
• Database Proxying
9. DBI Specification
10. Driver and Database Characteristics
11. ASLaN Sacred Site Charter

Nothing new here, just some superficial ramblings.

Not really bad, but nothing to recommend.