my %cars = ( 1001 => { make => "Chevrolet", model => "Camaro", year => 1972, price => 6000, }, ... #### my %cars = ( 1002 => { make_id => 10, model_id => 27, year => 2001, price => 24000, }, ); my %makes = { 1 = "Chevrolet", 10 = "Acura", }; my %models = { 12 = "Camaro", 27 = "RSX", };