Difference between a log analyzer and a stats software

Deepmetrix, URCHIN, webtrends, etc...

[littlemarcus]

Hi,

i'd like to know the difference between a log analyzer (such as Deepmetrix) and a stats software. I don't know if there is a difference or if i'm talking about the same thing here. I'm pretty confused...

We currently use URCHIN (www.urchin.com) wich i don't consider to be a log analyzer (am i right?). I'd like to know if it's anygood for indepth tracking and reporting.

Does anyone use it, what do you think about it?

Thanks alot for your help!

littlemarcus

[bcolflesh]

Deepmetrix appears to use Javascripts that you have to include on your site to extract visitor information and place it into various reports.

Log analysis software scans your actual logs and creates reports based on that information.

[littlemarcus]

Is one better than the other (log analysis vs stats software)?

[bcolflesh]

Depends on your goal - you can't compare them as they have distinct purposes.

[claus]

>> We currently use Urchin () wich i don't consider to be a log analyzer

You're not right there, this is a quote from their webpage:

"Urchin is a web analytics software product that, in basic terms, reads log files and produces usage reports."

So it's a log analyser. Stats ("Statistics") software is such a broad term it can cover anything from an advanced calculator to packages like SAS or SPSS - it does not even have to be web-related. Then again, log-analyzers are also covered by this term, imho.

/claus

[ritualcoffee]

do you mean the difference between log analysis vs. tag analysis?

Big difference...
logs are logs
tagging can take many forms (javascript, pixel, etc.)

[littlemarcus]

Basically, i just want to know the different possibilities and the best way to analyze traffic on our Website (not a commercial website, we're a university).

We use banner ads, pay per click, newsletters, popups, etc. to drive traffic to the site. (just thought you'd like to know this info before answering).

[antarve]

I think borderline between both kinds of traffic analytic software is quite subjective.
Personally I like AWStats (http://awstats.sourceforge.net/ ) because they are easy and fast in handling. To me AWStats are smarter, then its heavy and over-designed commercial counterparts.
Bottom line: AWStats needs to be installed on the server. Unfortunately it is above my skills.

I use <log analyzer>(?) Summary (http://summary.net/).
It is just a few dollars more expensive, than AWStats, but depth of analysis is astonishing. It incrementally downloads log from the site and processes data very fast.

The problem is with the decreasing credibility of the access log data:
- popularity of proxy servers grows fast
- caching and <archiving> of the web pages by large ISP's, search engines and another institutions is out of control
- such portions of the entry line, as browser , and platform can be altered very easily by the visitor.

Both: stats and analyzers should be supported by same kind of a log reader. After seeing numbers above average, it is the need to check what happened.
I posted Q about it a few days ago. Most likely such utility is not written yet.

[claus]

Please don't be put off by this post, but this subject have been discussed a lot of times, and you'll find a lot of pros and cons in related threads. I've managed to find a few of them, and i'll post them here.

First and foremost there's this ongoing discussion with a lot of good info:

"Poll: What web stats service do you use?"
[webmasterworld.com...]

Right now it's 10 pages and 136 messages. Then there are all these related threads and probably lots more:

"Page based stats vs log stats"
[webmasterworld.com...]

"Log Analysis vs. Outsourced (3rd Party)"
[webmasterworld.com...]

"with hosted tracking what important info do I miss out on?"
[webmasterworld.com...]

"A satisfactory stats package"
[webmasterworld.com...]

"How to accurately determine UNIQUE visitors a week"
[webmasterworld.com...]

"Log stats, or Graphic stats?"
[webmasterworld.com...]

"Free web-based statistics"
[webmasterworld.com...]

"Free Log Analyzer/Stats Program"
[webmasterworld.com...]

"Conversion tracking"
[webmasterworld.com...]

"Opinions on online tracking service"
[webmasterworld.com...]

"Log Analysis"
[webmasterworld.com...]

"Is Web Log Analysis Worthwhile?"
[webmasterworld.com...]

"What is the best choice today regarding log analysis software?"
[webmasterworld.com...]

"Reading Access Logs"
[webmasterworld.com...]

"Why webserver stats are questionable"
[webmasterworld.com...]

I really think there's a good chance that these threads will provide some answers. Personally i'm strongly in favour of web-based/browser-based/script-based over logfiles, with one exception only, that they do not count the visits by SE Spiders and other bots. They do include the referrals though.

/claus