use strict;
use DBI;
my $dbh =DBConnect();
my $sth = $dbh->prepare("SELECT * FROM WHATEVER");
################
sub DBConnect{
  # Connect to the database
  my $CONNECTIONSTRING =
           "DSN=mySystemDSN;" .
           "Uid=myUsername;" .
           "Pwd=myPassword" ;

  return  DBI->connect("DBI:ODBC:$CONNECTIONSTRING",
                  '','', # Username and password
                  # Now set the DBI Attributes ...
                  {RaiseError => 1,  # do this, or check every call fo
+r errors
                   ChopBlanks=> 1, LongTruncOk  =>1, LongReadLen => 25
+}
                   )
        or die "Couldn't open database:'$CONNECTIONSTRING'\n $DBI::err
+str; stopped";
}
[download]

With Access, you can also use a filename as a "DSN" and don't need to use ODBC-Manager but handle it from the script, e.g. from perldoc DBD::ODBC

# as UNC (beware the proper rights)
my $DSN = 'driver=Microsoft Access Driver(*.mdb);dbq=\\\\cheese\\g$\\p
+erltest.mdb'; 
# or just as plain filename:
my $DSN = 'driver=Microsoft Access Driver(*.mdb);dbq=g:\\perltest.mdb'
+;

my $dbh = DBI->connect("dbi:ODBC:$DSN", '','') or
  die "$DBI::errstr\n";
[download]