Checking $DBI::errstr is best done when instantiating a DBI::db object, since you will not have a reference to the object if the connect fails. After the instantiation, say to the var $dbh, you should check the err() method or the more useful errstr() method: or die $dbh->errstr(). But....

An even lazier solution is to force errors to raise exceptions via the RaiseError attribute. You do so by passing a hash ref to the constructor like so:

my $dbh = DB->connect(
   'DBI:vendor:database:host','user','pass',
   { RaiseError => 1},
);
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Now you don't have to 'or die' after every query (method call).

Setting 'PrintError' to false is useful in conjunction with 'RaiseError' set to true when you use eval to catch exceptions, rather than die on them. Doing so supresses the 'error messages' that are generated when DBI calls die.

just tryin to be helpful ;)

jeffa

L-LL-L--L-LL-L--L-LL-L--
-R--R-RR-R--R-RR-R--R-RR
F--F--F--F--F--F--F--F--
(the triplet paradiddle)