While using fetchrow_hashref is the counterbalance to using "select * ...", the problem is that _hashref is *slow* compared to fetchrow_array or the likes, and if this is a highly-accessed script, that might cost significant CPU time. It's typically better to specify what columns you want in the select, and then, if you really need that hash, use a hash slice to merge the column names and data (eg @row{ @columns } = fetchrow_array). If you don't necessarily know column names to start, it's easy to get them via the DBI interface, and this only has to be done once at the start of the program.

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Dr. Michael K. Neylon - mneylon-pm@masemware.com || "You've left the lens cap of your mind on again, Pinky" - The Brain
"I can see my house from here!"
It's not what you know, but knowing how to find it if you don't know that's important