as poj has already pointed out "I suspect there are other problems" but you have at least successfully identified that you get that error when $feed_table_idcode->fetchrow_array does not return any rows, because then $feed_table_ext_results->execute never gets executed. One way to test if it has returned any rows is to set some sort of flag to false as a default state, and then set it to true if $feed_table_idcode->fetchrow_array did return a row, (and $feed_table_ext_results->execute gets executed). Then you can skip the $feed_table_ext_results>fetchrow_array loop if your flag is still false

for instance $did_ex_flag=0; sets a flag to false, and $did_ex_flag=1; sets it to true, and if ($did_ex_flag) { ...} can be used to test it.

another way, that might be more useful, would be to move the $feed_table_ext_results->fetchrow_array loop to right after the $feed_table_ext_results->execute statement. Of course you now realize the $feed_table_ext_idcode = statement needs to be before that point.

Ok, thank you , will try using the flags method .

Yes, but I suspect there are other problems. How many lines are there in the whole script ? You need to show how the 3 execute statement are nested together

currently there are 312 lines.

My insert statements are

    #Prepare insert statement for feed table 
    $sth_insert = $dbh3->prepare("INSERT IGNORE INTO $feed_table (id_c
+ode, entry_time, parent_id_code, author_name, author_code, author_url
+, author_image_url, entry_url, entry_types, status_code, entry_text, 
+entry_data, last_update, pull_time, queue_code) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?
+, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)") or die $dbh3->errstr;

    ##prepare insert statement for feed table ext
    my $ext_insert = $dbh3->prepare("INSERT IGNORE INTO $feed_table_ex
+t (id_code, item_name, item_value, item_data) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)") o
+r die $dbh3->errstr;

    ##prepare insert table for feed table category
    my $cat_insert = $dbh3->prepare("INSERT IGNORE INTO $feed_table_ca
+tegory (id_code, category_class_code, category_code, user_name, cat_t
+ime) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)") or die $dbh3->errstr;

    ##prepare insert table for feed table log    
    my $log_insert = $dbh3->prepare("INSERT IGNORE INTO $feed_table_lo
+g (id_code, action_time, action_usec, action_code, action_type, user_
+id, processor_id, action_text) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)") or d
+ie $dbh3->errstr;


#get table results from production stream table
my $activate_info= $dbh->prepare("SELECT source_code, stream_code, cli
+ent_id, stream_oauth_id, name, url, status_code, stream_data, feed_db
+, feed_table, last_update, report_db, sla, exclude_request, owned, pu
+sh FROM stream WHERE id = ?");

$activate_info->execute($client_ID);

##prepare the insert statement 
 $activate_stream = $dbh4->prepare("INSERT INTO stream (source_code, s
+tream_code, client_id, stream_oauth_id, name, url, status_code, strea
+m_data, feed_db, feed_table, last_update, report_db, sla, exclude_req
+uest, owned, push) VALUES(?, ?, 10, 1, ?, ?, \'DISABLED\', ?, \'socia
+l_patrol_feed002\', ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)");

                            

##Insert statement execution
print "Dropping $feed_table table..\n";
#sleep(3);
$dbh3->do("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS $feed_table");            
print "Recreating $feed_table table..\n";
#sleep(3);
my $qy = $dbh2->prepare("SHOW CREATE TABLE $feed_table");
$qy->execute();

my $feed_table_create = $qy->fetchrow_array();

$dbh3->do("$feed_table_create");        
print "Inserting data into $feed_table table..\n";
#sleep(3);
while (my @insert = $table_results->fetchrow_array())
                {
$sth_insert->execute(@insert) or die $sth_insert->errstr;
                }
#$sth_insert->finish();

##Insert ext execution
print "Dropping $feed_table_ext table..\n";
#sleep(3);
#$dbh3->do("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS $feed_table_ext");
                    
print "Recreating $feed_table_ext table..\n";
#sleep(3);

#my $qy_ext = $dbh2->prepare("SHOW CREATE TABLE $feed_table_ext");

#$qy_ext->execute();

#my $feed_table_ext_create = $qy_ext->fetchrow_array();
#  $dbh3->do("$feed_table_ext_create");

print "Inserting data into $feed_table_ext table..\n";
#sleep(3);
while (my @insert_ext = $feed_table_ext_results->fetchrow_array())
{
#print "@insert_ext\n";
$ext_insert->execute(@insert_ext) ;
                            }
#    $ext_insert->finish();

##Insert category execution
print "Dropping $feed_table_category table..\n";
#sleep(3);
$dbh3->do("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS $feed_table_category");

print "Recreating $feed_table_category table..\n";
#sleep(3);
my $qy_cat = $dbh2->prepare("SHOW CREATE TABLE $feed_table_category");
$qy_cat->execute();
my $feed_table_cat_create = $qy_cat->fetchrow_array();
        
$dbh3->do("$feed_table_cat_create");
        
print "Inserting data into $feed_table_category table..\n";
  #sleep(3);
while (my @insert_cat = $feed_table_category_results->fetchrow_array()
+)
    {
$cat_insert->execute(@insert_cat) or die $sth_insert->errstr;
          }
#        $cat_insert->finish();

##Insert log table execution
print "Dropping $feed_table_log table..\n";
  #sleep(3);
$dbh3->do("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS $feed_table_log");
                                                
print "Recreating $feed_table_log table..\n";
     #sleep(3);
my $qy_log = $dbh2->prepare("SHOW CREATE TABLE $feed_table_log");
 $qy_log->execute();
 my $feed_table_log_create = $qy_log->fetchrow_array();
                                    
       $dbh3->do("$feed_table_log_create");
                
print "Inserting data into $feed_table_log table..\n";
 #sleep(3);
            
while (my @insert_log = $feed_table_log_results->fetchrow_array())
 {
 $log_insert->execute(@insert_log) or die $sth_insert->errstr;
                                          }
#            $log_insert->finish();




##Prepare insert statement to activate stream
if($sth_insert->errstr)
{
print "The insert statement failed for data $sth_insert->errstr";
        }
     else
                {
            ##Insert statement execution to activate stream
        #print "Will now delete data from stream table with client ID 
+$client_ID\n";
                                
#my $stream_delete = $dbh4->prepare("DELETE FROM stream WHERE id = ?")
+;
#$stream_delete->execute($client_ID);

    
print "Inserting data into STREAM table..\n";
                                           sleep(3);    
    while (my  @activate_results =  $activate_info->fetchrow_array() )
                            {
                                                 $activate_stream->exe
+cute(@activate_results[0, 1, 4, 5, 7, 9 .. 15]) or die $activate_stre
+am->errstr;
                                                                   }  
+  
                
    
                                }
                                #$activate_stream->finish();
[download]

Where does this loop

while (my @row = $feed_table_ext_idcode->fetchrow_array())
{
  #print "@row\n";
  $feed_table_ext_results->execute(@row);
}
[download]

appear in relation to this loop ?

while (my @insert_ext = $feed_table_ext_results->fetchrow_array()){
  #print "@insert_ext\n";
  $ext_insert->execute(@insert_ext) ;
}
[download]

I was expecting to see the second nested in the first

poj

my $nRows_affected = $feed_table_ext_results->execute(..)
[download]

Please adjust the formatting of your code to something similar to this:

while (my @insert_ext = $feed_table_ext_results->fetchrow_array())
{
   $ext_insert->execute(@insert_ext) ;
}
[download]

while (my @insert_ext = $feed_table_ext_results>fetchrow_array())
                                        {
         
                  $ext_insert->execute(@insert_ext) ;
                                        }
[download]