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 You can use the DBI module to access the database from perl.  If memory serves there's a spawn plugin that uses it, just grep DBI in your quests/plugins directory for an example.
 As for the purpose you've described, I'm not exactly sure what you mean by 'efficient'.  Qglobals aren't inefficient and I don't see what you'll gain by using DBI in their stead.  The only time I've ever had to step outside qglobals was for a special case with script-driven pets.  If you're just managing instances with NPC's, the existing tools are more than enough.
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