The source code of DBviaODBC.pl :
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# To be run at a command prompt on a PC using the command:
# perl DBviaODBC.pl
# Connects to a database associated with a nominated DSN
# (Data Source Name = symbolic name set up for a database) configured
# into the ODBC Control Panel on the current Windows machine.
# (Could be an Access database, local Oracle database, or other options.)
# Does a demo of table_info (see page 145 of Decartes and Bunce)
# and then does a straightforward retrieval from table Panto.
#
# Customize the definitions below of variable $dsn
# to identify the actual database.
#
# Author: SB Jones June 2001, based on R Bland
use strict ;
use DBI ;
my ($dsn, # data source name configured in the ODBC control panel
$dbh, # database handle
$sth, # statement handle
@row, # row (record)
%attr, # error-checking attributes for DBI
$ProxyID # machine, port, database
) ;
my ($season, $title) ;
$dsn = "<replace>"; # A DSN configured in the ODBC control panel
$dbh = DBI->connect("dbi:ODBC:$dsn");
$sth = $dbh->table_info() ;
while ( my ($qual, $owner, $name, $type, $remarks)
= $sth->fetchrow_array()) {
foreach ($qual, $owner, $name, $type, $remarks) {
$_ = "N/A" unless defined $_ ; }
printf "%-9s %-9s %-32s %-6s %s\n",
$qual, $owner, $name, $type, $remarks ; }
$sth = $dbh->prepare("SELECT DISTINCT Season, Title FROM Panto") ;
$sth->execute ;
while (($season, $title) = $sth->fetchrow_array()) {
print "In $season the panto was $title\n" ; }
$dbh->disconnect ;
print "That's all\n" ;
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