use strict;
use warnings;
use Win32::OLE;
use Date::Calc;

my ($f_mfg_desk, $f_mfg_desk_output, @wip_query, $opr_cd, @header,
    %header_data, @row_array, $BREAK, $Oper_Cd, @newrow, $start_time);

# This gets the document from the server
$f_mfg_desk = '//163.10.50.33/planning/logistics/programs/chicago_wip_
+query.txt';

@header = ("Oper_Cd","Pick_Ref_Num","Part_Id","Lot Qty","Order Id",
           "Order Lineitem Id","Order Lineline Id","Sublot Num",
           "Comm Invoice Num","Oper In Dt","Cust Early Shp Dt",
           "Cust Late Shp Dt","Current Date","Business Class Cd",
           "Action Expedite Flg","Required Ship Saleable",
           "Required Ship Inventory Transfer","Total Required Ships");

$start_time = time;

open (INFILE, '//163.10.50.33/planning/logistics/programs/chicago_wip_
+query.txt');
while (<INFILE>) {
    chomp;
    @newrow = spli
    
    t /\t/;
    $header_data{$newrow[2]} = [$newrow[3..18]];
     }
   
    close(INFILE)
[download]

I'd recommend you check out woolfy's Where and how to start learning Perl as there are some strange assumptions here, but a possible rewrite:

use strict;
use warnings; #good!
use Win32::OLE;
use Date::Calc; why load when you don't use it, or Win32::OLE?

#having a few variable with a large lexical scope isn't  
#nessarily bad but in general use the smallest scope

# This acutally assigns the file location to a scalar
# doesn't get anything (as [holli] stated)
my %header_data;
my $f_mfg_desk = '//163.../chicago_wip_query.txt';

# Since you don't actually use @headers: I dropped it
# If you needed it just say why and I'll go from there

# "time" gives seconds after epoch which is proably not what you want,
+ see localtime*
my ($sec, $min, $hour, $dayofmonth, $month, $year, $weekday, $day) = l
+ocaltime(time);
$month++;
$year += 1900;

open (INFILE, $f_mfg_desk);
#if you do my $record = <INFILE> you'd need chomp($record);... or
while (<INFILE>)
{
  chomp;
  my @newrow = split /\t/;
  #missing the ]; here
  $header_data{$newrow[2]} = [ $newrow[3..18] ];
}
close(INFILE);

#to sort and reprint (proably want to copy a backup too)
open (OUTFILE, ">$f_mfg_desk");

# see perldsc* and sort*
for my $key (sort keys %header_data)
{
  #see perlref* for @{}
  for my $a (@{$header_data{$key}})
  {
    print OUTFILE "$a\t";
  }
  print OUTFILE "\n";
}
[download]

*:localtime, perldsc, sort, perlref

"Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum - I think that I think, therefore I think that I am." Ambrose Bierce

Hi Kutsu
Thank you for the response, I really appreciate the time that you took to respond back. Some answers to your questions:

I was using Date::Calc to get the current date and compare it to the date that I need to use as a cutoff for rows that I want to delete. If that is in error and I don't need it to do that, then I am fine to drop it.

The next question, Win32::OLE, I have put that on as a standard to most of my programs, so I have to admit that was out of habit.

Finally, even with your code, I still get an error uninitialized value in hash element..., and it points me to this section of code in line 29  $header_data{$newrow[2]} = [ $newrow[3..18] ];

I appreciate the links to the documents, I will print those out and read them. Thank you very much again.
Portree