Several lines? Let me compare:

# Using dbmopen
dbmopen(my %foo, 'data.db', 0666);
# time passes...
dbmclose(%foo);

# Using tie
use DB_File;
tie(my %foo, 'DB_File', 'data.db');
# time passes...
untie(%foo);
[download]

Doesn't seem like that much extra to me.

Furthermore dbmopen and dbmclose may not be officially deprecated, but I'd suggest that people not use them.

Of course if you don't mind the possibility that installing a new module will cause working scripts to break and you to be left not knowing how to get at your data, then by all means ignore my advice. The extra information that you have to supply for tie removes a potentially painful ambiguity.

(The fault actually lies with AnyDBM_File.)