MySQL queries from within a SOAP server

[lorax]

I've got a SOAP server that has several functions within it. Each one queries the database and returns data to the SOAP client.

A sample function within the SOAP server looks like this:

function getpricing($mn) {
           $db = mysql_connect("mydomain", "uname", "pwd") 
                     or die("Could not connect to the database.");
           $usedb = mysql_select_db("dbname", $db);

       $query = "SELECT products_price
                 FROM products
                 WHERE products_model = '".$mn."'";
       $result = mysql_query($query)
                 or die("Could not retrieve current product from db: "
                 .mysql_error());
       $rbc = mysql_fetch_array($result)
              or die("Could not display current product for you: "
              .mysql_error());
       $page = $rbc[products_price];
       return $page;
  }

My questions:

Is it wise/necessary to do a mysql_connect within each function?

Should I use a pconnect instead or is that a waste of resources when using SOAP?