Other things to look at are :-

A. Apache::DBI in order to have persistant connections.

B. Binding variables to place holders.

C. mod_perl

D. correct DBD driver ie use DBD::Oracle not DBD::ODBC to the Microsoft Oracle driver. (This one is a classic as MS screwed the Oracle driver for their own reasons)

A Code sample would allow us to see if there were any mistakes that were causing CPU spin etc

Hope this Helps
UnderMine