---
name: "Database::DumpTruck"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "libdatabase-dumptruck-perl"
version: "1.2-4"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Database::DumpTruck"
---

# Database::DumpTruck(3pm)

Relaxing interface to SQLite

## NAME

Database::DumpTruck - Relaxing interface to SQLite

## SYNOPSIS

```
  my $dt = new Database::DumpTruck;
  $dt->insert({Hello => 'World'});
  $dt->create_index(['Hello']);
  $dt->upsert({Hello => 'World', Yolo => 8086});
  my $data = $dt->dump;
  $dt->insert([
      {Hello => 'World'},
      {Hello => 'Hell', Structured => {
          key => value,
          array => [ 1, 2, 3, {} ],
      }}], 'table2');
  my $data2 = $dt->dump('table2');
  $dt->drop('table2');
  $dt->execute('SELECT 666');
  my @columns = $dt->column_names();
  $dt->save_var('number_of_the_beast', 666);
  my $number_of_the_beast = $dt->get_var('number_of_the_beast');
```

## DESCRIPTION

This is a simple document-oriented interface to a SQLite database, modelled after Scraperwiki's Python `"dumptruck"` module. It allows for easy (and maybe inefficient) storage and retrieval of structured data to and from a database without interfacing with SQL.

Database::DumpTruck attempts to identify the type of the data you're inserting and uses an appropriate SQLite type:

- "integer"

  This is used for integer values. Will be used for `8086`, but not `"8086"` or `8086.0`.

- "real"

  This is used for numeric values that are not integer. Will be used for `8086.0`, but not `"8086"` or `8086`.

- "bool"

  This is used for values that look like result of logical statemen. A crude check for values that are both `""` and `0` or both `"1"` and `1` at the same time is in place. This is a result of comparison or a negation.

  To force a value to look like boolean, prepend it with a double negation: e.g. `"!!0"` or `"!!1"`.

- "json text"

  Used for `"ARRAY"` and `"HASH"` references. Values are converted into and from JSON strings upon `"insert"` and `"dump"`.

- "text"

  Pretty much everything else.

## METHODS

- **new** (\[params\])

  Initialize the database handle. Accepts optional hash with parameters:

  - **dbname** (Default: "dumptruck.db")

    The database file.

  - **table** (Default: "dumptruck")

    Name for the default table.

  - **vars\_table** (Default: "\_dumptruckvars")

    Name of the variables table.

  - **vars\_table\_tmp** (Default: "\_dumptruckvarstmp")

    Name of the temporary table used when converting the values for variables table.

  - **auto\_commit** (Default: 1)

    Enable automatic commit.

- **column\_names** (\[table\_name\])

  Return a list of names of all columns in given table, or table `"dumptruck"`.

- **execute** (sql, \[params\])

  Run a raw SQL statement and get structured output. Optional parameters for `"?"` placeholders can be specified.

- **commit** ()

  Commit outstanding transaction. Useful when `"auto_commit"` is off.

- **close** ()

  Close the database handle. You should not need to call this explicitly.

- **create\_index** (columns, \[table\_name\], \[if\_not\_exists\], \[unique\])

  Create an optionally unique index on columns in a given table. Can be told to do nothing if the index already exists.

- **create\_table** (data, table\_name, \[error\_if\_exists\])

  Create a table and optionally error out if it already exists. The data structure will be based on data, though no data will be inserted.

- **insert** (data, \[table\_name\], \[upsert\])

  Insert (and optionally replace) data into a given table or `"dumptruck"`. Creates the table with proper structure if it does not exist already.

- **upsert** (data, \[table\_name\])

  Replace data into a given table or `"dumptruck"`. Creates the table with proper structure if it does not exist already.

  Equivalent to calling `"insert"` with `"upsert"` parameter set to `1`.

- **get\_var** (key)

  Retrieve a saved value for given key from the variable database.

- **save\_var** (key, value)

  Insert a value for given key into the variable database.

- **tables** ()

  Returns a list of names of all tables in the database.

- **dump** (\[table\_name\])

  Returns all data from the given table or `"dumptduck"` nicely structured.

- **drop** (\[table\_name\])

  Drop the given table or `"dumptruck"`.

## BUGS

None known.

## SEE ALSO

- •

  \<https://github.com/scraperwiki/dumptruck\> - Python module this one is heavily inspired by.

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright 2014, Lubomir Rintel

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

## AUTHOR

Lubomir Rintel \<lkundrak@v3.sk\>