Editing Portal:Databases (section)

=== Why Perl remained useful for databases ===

Perl stayed useful in data development because it sits comfortably between raw text and structured storage. It can parse a broken file, clean the records, connect to a relational database, update a search index, write a report, and send an email from the same program. DBI gave Perl a stable database abstraction, while CPAN gave it the libraries needed to handle almost any input format.

The most important Perl data-development strengths are:

* excellent regular expressions and string handling;
* strong file and stream processing;
* hashes that naturally model records, indexes, and lookups;
* DBI and DBD drivers for many relational databases;
* SQLite support for local embedded databases;
* DBM and Berkeley DB support for persistent key-value storage;
* practical modules for CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, email, and web APIs;
* easy automation of dumps, restores, migrations, and reports;
* long-term compatibility with older production systems.