###########################################################################
# Prepare then execute SQL statement.
# In: SQL statement
# Out: change global var $sth. Return rows affected.
# See $DBI::rows: rows returned?
# $DBI::errstr: error string
sub prepex
{my($sql)=@_;
my(@a,@b,$i,$j,$procname,$s,$t);
my($key,$data,$ret,$rows);

$procname="prepex()";

$rows=0;
$s="$procname: Runnning sql: $sql";
writeerr($s);

eval {
    $sth=$dbh->prepare($sql);
    };
if ($@)
    {
    $s="$procname: ERROR on prepare: $@";
    writeerr($s);
    }

eval {
    $sth->execute();
    $rows=$DBI::rows; # Also $sth->rows;
    #$ret=$ret+0; # Remove '0E0' code.
    #$dbh->commit or die $dbh->errstr; # Do not use with AutoCommit.
    };
if (($@) or ($DBI::errstr))
    {
    $s="$procname: ERROR on execute: $@";
    writeerr($s);
    }

#$s="$procname: Rows returned: $DBI::rows";
#writeerr($s);
if (len($DBI::errstr)>0)
    {
    $s="$procname ERROR from DBI: $DBI::errstr";
    writeerr($s);
    }

return $rows; # prepex
}

Then I execute these SQL statements. 

CREATE TABLE data (skey TEXT PRIMARY KEY, svalue TEXT);

INSERT INTO data (skey, svalue) VALUES ('Stuff', 'Ge 1:1-more &stuff& here ');

SELECT svalue FROM data WHERE skey='Stuff'; # This one fails with 0 recs returned