[thelist] World-class log analysis / visitor tracking

[Moe Rubenzahl]

(cue guitar) "I got the WebTrends bluuuuuuues!"

I run a mid-large-sized B2B site for a high-tech manufacturing
company and we have been using WebTrends and Analog for a long time
to do our web stats. I need something much better. (We're using a
pretty old version of WebTrends [4.something?] so maybe a newer
version of their products would help.)

I will be most appreciative of suggestions for solutions you have
used, whether it's for log analysis or a service like hitbox. Or
maybe you will tell me we just need better training on WebTrends and
Analog.

I need a solution that is:

- Reliable (some of WebTrends' reports are either difficult to
understand or the numbers are suspicious)

- Efficient (WebTrends reports grind and grind and download log files
over and over).

- Capable: WebTrends does most of what we need, Analog less so.

- Useable: It feels like wrestling chimpanzees getting what we want
out of WebTrends.

- Path analysis on dynamic pages: WebTrends is really lousy at
following a user through the site and reporting who goes where.
Especially bad because it won't follow paths through dynamic pages
(e.g. Cold Fusion pages with paramerters).

- accurate reports across servers: If a customer visits three
servers, he's counted as three people.

- remote access by people in our divisions who can find important
stats easily and do what-if scenarios: Although WebTrends has a web
interface, no way I could  let product managers have access to its
byzantine interface.

- Money is no object. Well, actually, it is; but for a really good
solution, I would pay.

Thanks in advance!

- Moe Rubenzahl