Try this instead: 
$sth = $dbh->prepare("
    select task_id, originator_name, 
    creation_date, due_date, severity 
    from tasks 
    order by task_id
");
$sth->execute or dienice("Can't get problem report: " . $dbh->errstr);

[download]
arhuman is right about testing the validity of execute, not prepare. I also wanted to show you that your SQL code can be nicely formatted so you can easily tell the difference between it and your Perl Code. Also, use $dbh->errstr instead of $! to get errors back from the database. You can also use $DBI::errstr if you do not have a valid DBI::db object (for example, when you first attempt to create the object).

UPDATE: Listen to davorg - he speaks with great wisdom, even if he tells you Pony is really the universal answer for today.

Jeff 

R-R-R--R-R-R--R-R-R--R-R-R--R-R-R--
L-L--L-L--L-L--L-L--L-L--L-L--L-L--

In reply to (jeffa) Re: Script does not die when DB connection fails by jeffa
in thread Script does not die when DB connection fails by Anonymous Monk

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