reading value column in sessions table

I wrote a script which reads $_COOKIE['zenid'] and configuration.php, looks up the value column in the sessions table and returns that value. At first glance, the content of the value column looks like a long and winding string. Rather than take the time to turn this string into the variables I need (like user name and id number), I figure a routine already exists within Zen Cart for extracting the information.

Can somebody point me in the right direction?

It's a string because you can't store arrays and objects directly into a file or the database.

(I think) you can convert it back into an array like this:

$session_array = unserialize(base64_decode($stored_session_string));

But are you sure you need the stored session data? Depending on what you want it might be easier to use $_SESSION[]

What exactly are you intending to use this information for?

Thank you. My idea was security. I am not very familiar with php's sessions and something in my mind said I should verify that the information stored locally matched the db (or file) information and the cookie information (if available).

Example:

Where $sessiondata is taken from the stored session.

$stored_session_array = session_decode($sessiondata);

I –think- I can now ensure things like $stored_sesion_array[customers_ip_address], $_SESSION[customers_ip_address], and $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] are all the same.

If I am barking up the wrong tree, please do let me know. My goal is just to get the session information (customer ID n such) in a reliable way. Is this redundant? Do you think I should just take $_SESSION variables and trust them as good? PHP docs do claim it works fine.