It is a rather simple thing using CGI.pm, some database connections and scary amounts of print-statements.

If you have a simple thing to start with then keep it that way. Only go for the complications if you really need them. It is an excellent idea to pull out all those print statements and stick them in a template, and CGI::Application is a great starting point.

It may not be what you had in mind but I tend to add another 'layer' between CGI::Application and the actual module that generates the page - usually called something like MyApp::Base. In this I then add all those functions that crop up like connecting to the database, getting the user or redirecting to a login page (using cgiapp_init or cgiapp_prerun) etc.

This can generate some really compact and easy to test code - which can also be run on everything from a cut down CGI only server through to a full mod_perl optimised one. This last point is a real clincher - it is great having a super-dooper speedy custom setup until the server dies and you need it running now on that server there, yes the one we used as a doorstop.