I have an extremely simple function that does the following - loads DBI, requires a common functions block, and then selects one row out of a tiny (6 record) MySQL database and prints it. the database has indexes, and what I mentioned is literally ALL that it does. I still get upwards of 6% CPU load from it, on a robust Apache server that severs a million html pages a month. yikes!

further details with associated questions:
- the common functions block (require "common_functions.pl") has 113 subroutines in it, only one of which i use. could loading all those subroutines be the problem? would it be better to split those up, and only call the ones I need - and if so, would (for example) five 'requires' be more ponderous than one require that has 5 subroutines in it?
- is use DBI; really that much of a memory hog? All i do is Selects (regular and 'count(*)'s) , Updates, Inserts, and Deletes - is there something small I could be loading?

Thank you so much for any help - I tried to type this as concisely as possible.

--- actual code:

#!/usr/bin/perl
require "common_function.pl";
 use DBI;
 use Digest::MD5 qw(md5 md5_hex md5_base64);
  ############# this is here to check their authentication - that line
+ removed from this code, and the load still happens without it here

 print "Content-type: text/html \n\n";

 $dbh = DBI->connect('DBI:mysql:name-of-db', 'NOT COPIED INTO HERE', '
+NOT COPIED INTO HERE');


######### this is the subroutine called from that common block, copied
+ into here for clarity ##########
    $query = 'SELECT flag_value FROM server_flags WHERE flag_name = ?'
+;
    $sthcf2 = $dbh->prepare($query);
    $result=$sthcf2->execute("announcements_today");
    ($currentnews) = $sthcf2->fetchrow();
    $sthcf2->finish();
##################


if ($currentnews ne ""){
$currentnews=<<_MOOSE_;
<table style="border-color:black;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;f
+ont-size:14px" bgcolor=FFFFFF><tr><td align=center width=100>
$currentnews
</td></tr></table>
_MOOSE_

 $dbh->disconnect();

}

print $currentnews;

 $dbh->disconnect();
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