This really isn't a perl question. At all. Not even a bit. Just because you are using perl to execute the SQL doesn't make it a perl thing (99.9% of the time anway). Please, for yours and our sanity go ask on your database's mailing list. A snippet of SQL's behaviour can and will be different between different databases. On it's face the behaviour looks odd but it's also entirely possible that this is understandable from the perspective of your database. Right now we don't know if this is PostgreSQL or MySQL or what your table schema and data looks like.

So... either just turn that into a completely RDMBS oriented question (since that what it really is) or ask the question in an appropriate forum. Just don't pretend it's a perl question.

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