Programming the Perl DBI

Appendix A. DBI Specification

This appendix is a slightly edited version of the DBI specification, a “living document” that evolves at a slow but steady pace as new versions of the DBI are released. This document is based on the DBI specification for DBI version 1.14.

Although we know that it will be slightly out of date by the time you read it, we have included this specification in the book because it is important reference material, and we believe the book would be incomplete without it. For up-to-date information, consult the online documentation for the version of the DBI you have installed. You can usually access the online documentation with the perldoc DBI command. The Changes file supplied with the DBI distribution contains detailed change information.

Note that whenever the DBI changes, the drivers take some time to catch up. Recent versions of the DBI have added new features (marked NEW in the text) that may not yet be supported by the drivers you use. Talk to the authors of those drivers if you need support for new features.