perlfaq8: How do I use an SQL database?

* rewrote the answer to more clearly explain DBI, and to point
out alternatives.


Index: perlfaq8.pod
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RCS file: /cvs/public/perlfaq/perlfaq8.pod,v
retrieving revision 1.16
diff -u -d -r1.16 perlfaq8.pod
--- perlfaq8.pod        3 Jan 2003 20:03:57 -0000       1.16
+++ perlfaq8.pod        18 Jan 2003 20:12:56 -0000
@@ -1036,9 +1036,15 @@
 
 =head2 How do I use an SQL database?
 
-There are a number of excellent interfaces to SQL databases.  See the
-DBD::* modules available from
http://www.cpan.org/modules/by-module/DBD/ .
-A lot of information on this can be found at http://dbi.perl.org/
+The DBI module provides an abstract interface to most database
+servers and types, including Oracle, DB2, Sybase, mysql, Postgresql,
+ODBC, and flat files.  The DBI module accesses each database type
+through a database driver, or DBD.  You can see a complete list of
+available drivers on CPAN: http://www.cpan.org/modules/by-module/DBD/ .
+You can read more about DBI on http://dbi.perl.org .
+
+Other modules provide more specific access: Win32::ODBC, Alzabo, iodbc,
+and others found on CPAN Search: http://search.cpan.org .
 
 =head2 How do I make a system() exit on control-C?

-- 
brian d foy, [email protected]