apache, cookies, php and mysql: using mod_usertrack with cookies and mysql

hi,

i was writing a system to track users on my site (which is administrated by a 3rd party) using cookies, php and mysql when a friend said he had heard that one could make use of the apache log files to do a similar system. At the moment, i have just 2 tables to do this: one holding the cookie info, (with alias, email, user ID etc....), and one with the pages hit (with 2 columns, one with the user ID and another with the url of the page which has been visited).

Unfortunately, that friend did not specify how to do this. He said something about reading the apache log files into a table regularly, using mod_usertrack. I guess that would mean parsing the info out of that log file and onto the database and using that instead of my second table... would this be a good idea ? And how exactly would i do it ?


cheers,
nick