..."create an interface for a website, to allow content management"... "Being a novice to perl"...
Eek! :-)
I've built several interfaces along the lines you have described and here is the best advice I can give you on the subject. The difficult part is error trapping, building a CMS is pretty easy* if you don't care about input from the lusers that use the system.
Get to know perl well before attempting this, also learn the Db system you will be using inside-out (you will be using a relational Db, not flatfiles?).
*Getting back to the point, you will be amazed, nay, dismayed by the utter rubbish (and potentially dangerous) content that people will put in using a web based CMS. I can personally guarantee that. So, learn all you can about what is suitable and safe to allow, parse that first, then, and only then allow writing to the Db.
