Is vsurend using DBD::Oracle? Could be DBD::ODBC or something for all we know.

Also, are all the connections really using the same database/username/password/schema? Different connections may point to different tables (similar looking) tables with different content. (e.g. test database vs. production database).

Another thing, especially with Oracle: vsurend, did you compile DBD::Oracle yourself against the Oracle client you have installed on your machine or did you use some precompiled package like ActiveState's PPMs? DBD::Oracle and Oracle's libraries don't always play nice together, even on minor version differences when using a precompiled version.