It's not on CPAN yet (waiting for PAUSE id), but you might want to check out SPOPS: Simple Perl Object Persistence with Security. Here's a simple example using DBI (just swiping one of the eg/ files from the distribution):

#!/usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use DBI;
use SPOPS::Configure::DBI;
use Data::Dumper  qw( Dumper );

# Change these lines as needed (test is normally 
# setup for MySQL tho...)
my $DBI_DSN      = 'DBI:mysql:test';
my $DBI_USERNAME = '';
my $DBI_PASSWORD = '';

my $db = DBI->connect( $DBI_DSN, $DBI_USERNAME, $DBI_PASSWORD )
                 || die "Cannot connect! Error: $DBI::errstr";
$db->{RaiseError} = 1;

my $fb_table = <<'SQL';
 CREATE TABLE fatbomb (
   fatbomb_id  int not null auto_increment,
   name        varchar(100) null,
   calories    int null,
   cost        varchar(10) null,
   servings    smallint null default 15,
   primary key ( fatbomb_id )
)
SQL
$db->do( $fb_table );

my $spops = {
     fatbomb => {
       class        => 'My::ObjectClass',
       isa          => [ qw/ SPOPS::DBI::MySQL SPOPS::DBI / ],
       field        => [ qw/ fatbomb_id calories cost name servings / 
+],
       base_table   => 'fatbomb',
       id_field     => 'fatbomb_id',
       skip_undef   => [ qw/ servings / ],
       sql_defaults => [ qw/ servings / ],
     },
};

SPOPS::Configure::DBI->process_config({ 
             config      => $spops,
             require_isa => 1 
});
My::ObjectClass->class_initialize;

my $object = My::ObjectClass->new;
$object->{calories} = 1500;
$object->{cost}     = '$3.50';
$object->{name}     = "Super Deluxe Jumbo Big Mac";
my $fb_id = eval { $object->save( { db => $db } ) };
if ( $@ ) {
   my $ei = SPOPS::Error->get;
   die "Error found! ($@) Error information:\n", 
       "System Message: $ei->{system_msg}\n",
       "Extra Stuff: $ei->{extra}->{sql}\n",
       "$ei->{extra}->{values}\n";
}
print "Object saved ok!\n",
      "Object ID: $fb_id\n",
      "Servings:  $object->{servings}\n";

undef $obj;
my $new_obj = eval { My::ObjectClass->fetch( $fb_id ) };
if ( $@ ) {
   die "Error found! ($@) Error information:\n", 
       "System Message: $ei->{system_msg}\n",
       "Extra Stuff: $ei->{extra}->{sql}\n",
       "$ei->{extra}->{values}\n";
print "Object fetched ok!\n",
      "Object ID: $new_obj->{fatbomb_id}\n",
      "Servings:  $new_obj->{servings}\n";

# Uncomment the next line if you want to see the contents of the table
# after the test has run
$db->do( 'DROP TABLE fatbomb' );
$db->disconnect;
[download]

This is a really simple example and doesn't show you security, the ability to write 'rulesets' which apply logic across disparate objects, and more.

Currently there are only DBI 'drivers' for MySQL and Sybase (ASE/ASA -- which also includes using MS SQL Server thru DBD::ODBC), but others are very easy to write -- basically just specifying how a DBD retrieves unique primary key values (autoincrement, key pool, sequences, etc.) and whether it knows how to quote data with a DBI SQL_TYPE hint.

Want to know more? Check out the README or download the code.

-- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker

My other article, currently unpublished, discusses Recordset from a software-engineering perspective

Other goodies with Recordset have to do with HTML-based navigation. You can see that in my discussion of Recordset at this Perlmonks.ORG node: Beyond Hardcoded Database Applications with DBIx::Recordset

-mark

I tried DBIx::Abstract for connecting to Mysql. Itīs easy in use and works quite well, if you use Apache and Perl on Linux. The problem I have with DBIx::Abstract is that my testapache runs on Windows (ok I know itīs no good idea *gg*). This module does not come as standard module for a WAPP system like Indigoperl. Compilation of this module under win32 did not succeed with cpan.pm (Error: MakeMaker could not find W:\dev\indigopearl\indigopearl\perl\lib\CORE\perl.h). I was wondering if someone could help.

My other article, currently unpublished, discusses Recordset from a software-engineering perspective

Other goodies with Recordset have to do with HTML-based navigation. You can see that in my discussion of Recordset at this Perlmonks.ORG node: Beyond Hardcoded Database Applications with DBIx::Recordset