my $sthQuery = $dbh->prepare('SELECT contact.forename, contact.surname
+, business.occupation, acn.position, contact.city, contact.country AS
+ forename, surname, occupation, position, city, country WHERE    cont
+act.ruid=business.ruid AND contact.ruid=acn.ruid AND forename LIKE ? 
+AND surname LIKE ? AND occupation LIKE ? AND position LIKE ? AND city
+ LIKE ? AND country LIKE ?')
        or die "Couldn't prepare query: " . $dbh->errstr;
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Software error:
Couldn't execute query: You have an error in your SQL syntax near 'WHE
+RE contact.ruid=business.ruid AND contact.ruid=acn.ruid AND forename 
+LIKE 'jo' at line 1 at /home/httpd/cgi-bin/basicsearch.cgi line 71.

For help, please send mail to the webmaster (dan@timmy), giving this e
+rror message and the time and date of the error.
[download]

The bug is not in DBD::mysql, but in your SQL: there's no FROM.

Oops, I thought the 'table.column' notation obviated the need for that. What should I be putting for the SQL query then?

As an aside (yes, I know the SQL is missing a FROM clause) that particular SQL statement is not really that long. Once you start programming a bit more, SQL statements 10x as long as that can become the norm. I highly recommend you start developing a better style to handle the SQL (for aesthetic, as well as other reasons). Try putting the SQL in a variable and then stick that variable into the prepare, like this:

my $CONTACT_SQL = "
SELECT C.forename, C.surname, B.occupation, A.position, C.city, 
       C.country AS forename, surname, occupation, position, city, cou
+ntry 
FROM   ACN A, BUSINESS B, CONTACTS C
WHERE  C.ruid=B.ruid
  AND  C.ruid=A.ruid
  AND  forename LIKE ?
  AND  surname LIKE ?
  AND  occupation LIKE ?
  AND  position LIKE ?
  AND  city LIKE ?
  AND country LIKE ?";

my $sthQuery = $dbh->prepare($CONTACT_SQL)
  or die "Couldn't prepare query: $DBI::errstr";
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You have no FROM in your SQL. I suggest finding one of the numerous SQL tutorials on the web (starting with the one on the MySQL website) and looking at the syntax (since this problem isn't Perl related). But, you will need to add:

FROM contact, business, acn
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In your query.

Cheers,
KM