Actually, if you try to connect() with bogus credentials with either RaiseError turned on or off, your script is going to die regardless of whether you add or die $DBI::errstr or not. I don't bother adding it, because i just don't have to. If the connect fails, my program will die (just run the debugger and see for yourself).

In other words, DBI does behave in the manner in which i described. But you can still be explicitly redundant, if you want. ;)

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)