DBIx::Introspector is a module factored out of the DBIx::Class database detection code. Most code that needs to detect which database it is connected to assumes that there is a one-to-one mapping from database drivers to database engines. Unfortunately reality is rarely that simple. For instance, DBD::ODBC is typically used to connect to SQL Server, but ODBC can be used to connect to PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Oracle. Additionally, while ODBC is the most common way to connect to SQL Server, it is not the only option, as DBD::ADO can also be used.