jZed is author of DBD::AnyData which might be interesting to you :)

And just to demonstrate the power of DBD::AnyData, check out jZed's solution to building structure from /etc/passwd files deux.

jeffa

L-LL-L--L-LL-L--L-LL-L--
-R--R-RR-R--R-RR-R--R-RR
B--B--B--B--B--B--B--B--
H---H---H---H---H---H---
(the triplet paradiddle with high-hat)

If what you want is a simple SLQ database engine that doesn't require you to install a bunch of stuff or administrate a full RDBMS server system, you may be interested in SQLite, which just stores your database in a single flat file. I've never used it, but it may be easier than installing and configuring a more full-featured RDBMS.

$;=sub{$/};@;=map{my($a,$b)=($_,$;);$;=sub{$a.$b->()}}
split//,".rekcah lreP rehtona tsuJ";$\=$ ;->();print$/
[download]

I can vouch for DBD::SQLite. It rocks. :) The first hurdle with SQLite is the fact that you have to have an egg before you can have chickens. What i mean is that you first have to write a script that creates (and then optionally populates) the database file. Something as trivial as:

use DBI;
use Data::Dumper;

my $dbh = DBI->connect(
    'dbi:SQLite:dbname=dbfile','','',
 #   { RaiseError => 1},
);
eval {
   $dbh->do('drop table foo');
   $dbh->do('create table foo(id int unsigned, name char(64))');
};

my $sth = $dbh->prepare('insert into foo values (?,?)');

$sth->execute(@$_) for [1,'moe'],[2,'curly'],[3,'larry'];

print Dumper $dbh->selectall_arrayref('select * from foo');
[download]

However, you may notice from the code that i am supplying the ID. I do not think that SQLite offers auto-incremented ID's for you.

Alternatively, if you already have your data stored in another format, check out SQL Fairy before you roll your own.

UPDATE:
That's right ... thanks for pointing out my error (once again!) merlyn. :)

Here is are updated lines for the snippet above:

$dbh->do('create table foo(id integer primary key, name char(64))');

my $sth = $dbh->prepare('insert into foo(name) values (?)');
$sth->execute($_) for qw(moe curry lary);
[download]

Much better. ;)

jeffa

L-LL-L--L-LL-L--L-LL-L--
-R--R-RR-R--R-RR-R--R-RR
B--B--B--B--B--B--B--B--
H---H---H---H---H---H---
(the triplet paradiddle with high-hat)

I do not think that SQLite offers auto-incremented ID's for you.

The number one FAQ entry at http://www.sqlite.org/faq.html:

(1) How do I create an AUTOINCREMENT field.
Short answer: A column declared INTEGER PRIMARY KEY will autoincrement.

-- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker
Be sure to read my standard disclaimer if this is a reply.

10.50.0.0    255.255.0.0
164.130.4.0     255.255.252.0
164.130.8.0     255.255.248.0
164.130.16.0    255.255.240.0
164.130.32.0    255.255.248.0
164.130.40.0   255.255.252.0
[download]

use DBI;
my $dir='/ipmap';
my $id=0;

opendir(DIR,$dir);
my @files = grep { $_ ne "." and $_ ne ".." } readdir DIR;
closedir(DIR);


my %attrib = (
             PrintError => 0,
             RaiseError => 1
             );

my $dbh = DBI->connect('dbi:SQLite:ipadd.db',"","",\%attrib);
my $query = $dbh->prepare("insert into siteip (tla,ip,range) values (?
+,?,?)");

print "@files\n";

foreach my $file (@files)
 {
   chomp($file);
   my @ins='';
   my($tla,undef)=split(/\./,$file);
   print "Processing for $tla\n";
   open(FI,"$dir\/$file")|| die $!;
   while(<FI>)
       {
         $id=+1;
         next if m/^\s*$/ or m/^\s*#/;
         my $line=$_;
         @ins = split(/\s+/,$line);
#         print "Inserting $tla $ins[0] $ins[1]";
              $query->execute("$tla","$ins[0]","$ins[1]");
     }
}
$dbh->disconnect;
[download]

While I second the use of SQLite, if you really want to just bolt an SQL engine ontop of arbitrary stuff, what you want is SQL::Statement

If by hashes you mean the associative arrays of Perl, I don't think that you can traverse them by using SQL, or at least not in an easy and straightforward way.

DBI::AnyData can use an Array of Arrays (in a particular format) as a data source and theoretically a Hash of Arrays is perhaps just as possible, but it is not documented.

My advice to someone new to (Perl) programming is not to mix hashes and SQL, but rather to concentrate on getting a good grip first on each of these separately.

If you will spend some more time in the Monastery, you will see that we are much better in providing practical answers to concrete questions than in discussing issues of a more general nature (where we tend to become rather filosophical). So if you provide us with some examples of your data, your data structure and perhaps some code snippets, we will gladly give you a "made to measure" solution.

you better at the same time install a real database engine, such as MySQL

Please, not "real" and "MySQL" in the same sentence. See MySQL Gotchas, and install PostgreSQL instead.

Of course, MySQL is fine if you don't actually need a real database. But then, you might as well just use DBD::SQLite.

-- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker
Be sure to read my standard disclaimer if this is a reply.

First, thanks for everyone's help.
Let me better explain what I am doing. I have 4 tables of data and I am trying to do joins between them without using a database.
I changed my hashes to arrays of arrays and tried to use DBI::AnyData. It seems to be having trouble getting my arrays into table format. I am getting the following error:

Can't coerce array into hash at C:/Perl/site/lib/DBD/AnyData.pm line 247.

Here is the some of the test code I am using for 1 join:


$dbh = DBI->connect('dbi:AnyData(RaiseError=>1):');

$dbh->func( 'rdbtable', 'ARRAY', @rdb, 'ad_import');
$dbh->func( 'asitable', 'ARRAY', @asi, 'ad_import');
$dbh->func( 'bomtable', 'ARRAY', @bom, 'ad_import');
$dbh->func( 'mpttable', 'ARRAY', @mpt, 'ad_import');

$rdbtable_sth = $dbh->prepare( "SELECT SIGNAL_NAME,LOCATION,X_COORDINA
+TE,Y_COORDINATE,Z_COORDINATE,COMPONENT_SIDE,ETCH_SIDE,GROUND,GROUND_L
+OCATION FROM rdbtable" );
$asitable_sth   = $dbh->prepare( "SELECT SIGNAL_NAME,LOCATION,REFERENC
+E_DESIGNATOR,PIN_NUMBER,DEVICE_NAME,PACKAGE_TYPE,CS_PART_NUMBER FROM 
+asitable WHERE LOCATION = ?" );
$rdbtable_sth->execute;
while (($location,$rdb_signal_name) = $rdbtable_sth->fetchrow_array) {
    $asitable_sth->execute($location);
    $row = $asitable_sth->fetchrow_arrayref;
    $asi_signal_name = $row ? $row->[0] : '';
    print "$rdb_signal_name : $asi_signal_name\n";
}
[download]

Here are the 2 tables:

rdbtable:

SIGNAL_NAME,LOCATION,X_COORDINATE,Y_COORDINATE,Z_COORDINATE,COMPONENT_SIDE,ETCH_SIDE,GROUND,GROUND_LOCATION
A_AD0,BP1.19E25,-895.0390,3277.3700,0.0000,0,1,GND,BP1.19245
A_AD0,F6_54.W4VIA,1825.0000,3975.0000,0.0000,0,1,GND,F6_54.W7VIA
A_AD1,F6_54.Y3VIA,1775.0000,3925.0000,0.0000,0,1,GND,F6_54.AB4VIA
A_AD1,BP1.18A3,-1210.0000,3513.5910,0.0000,0,1,,
A_AD2,BP1.19C25,-1052.5200,3277.3700,0.0000,0,1,GND,BP1.19254
A_AD2,F6_54.W3VIA,1825.0000,3925.0000,0.0000,0,1,GND,F6_54.AB4VIA

asitable:

SIGNAL_NAME,LOCATION,REFERENCE_DESIGNATOR,PIN_NUMBER,DEVICENAME,PACKAGE_TYPE,CS_PART_NUMBER
A_AD0,F6_54.W4VIA,F6_54,W4,XC2V4000,BGA957XBTF-XC2V4000_9B,059-000-408
A_AD1,F6_54.Y3VIA,F6_54,Y3,XC2V4000,BGA957XBTF-XC2V4000_9B,059-000-408
A_AD2,F6_54.W3VIA,F6_54,W3,XC2V4000,BGA957XBTF-XC2V4000_9B,059-000-408
A_AD3,F6_54.AA5VIA,F6_54,AA5,XC2V4000,BGA957XBTF-XC2V4000_9B,059-000-408
A_AD4,F6_54.Y5VIA,F6_54,Y5,XC2V4000,BGA957XBTF-XC2V4000_9B,059-000-408
A_AD5,F6_54.Y6VIA,F6_54,Y6,XC2V4000,BGA957XBTF-XC2V4000_9B,059-000-408

Any suggestions for fixing what I have or better ways to handle this situation would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again,
Jim

Can't coerce array into hash at C:/Perl/site/lib/DBD/AnyData.pm line 247.

This appears to be caused by the way my array of arrays is created.

I am creating it in the following manner:

$test[0][0] = 'No';
$test[0][1] = 'Letter';
$test[0][2] = 'Roman';
$test[1][0] = 1;
$test[1][1] = 'a';
$test[1][2] = 'i';
$test[2][0] = 2;
$test[2][1] = 'b';
$test[2][2] = 'ii';
$test[3][0] = 3;
$test[3][1] = 'c';
$test[3][2] = 'iii';
$test[4][0] = 4;
$test[4][1] = 'd';
$test[4][2] = 'iv';
$test[5][0] = 5;
$test[5][1] = 'e';
$test[5][2] = 'v';
$test[6][0] = 6;
$test[6][1] = 'f';
$test[6][2] = 'vi';
[download]

I don't currently see what the difference is from the following (which works):

@test = [
     ['No','Letter','Roman'],
     [1,'a','i'],
     [2,'b','ii'],
     [3,'c','iii'],
     [4,'d','iv'],
     [5,'e','v'],
     [6,'f','vi']
     ];
[download]