Alternative to a multidimensional array??

[The Hajj]

I've got an app I'm working on and a benefit to my users versus the
old application is dynamic forms. I didn't want to do it at first but
I figured it's something I'll have to do and the added benefit is
experience. Enough of the filler...

I'm generating the forms with javascript, based on information I know.
I use that information to tag the fields with that information. I
can't go into too much detail as I don't have the code with me right
now. Basically I'm tagging the fields like this:

date_<full date>_entry(n)_fieldname(n)

it's the easiest way I can think of. On the back side I'm building a
multi array like this(or similar):

$dates = array();

foreach ($_POST as $key =$value) {
$key = strireplace("date_", "", $key);
$keys = explode("_", $key);

$date = $keys[0];
$entry = $keys[1];
$field = $keys[2];

if (!in_array($date, $dates)
$dates [] = $date;
}

$date[$entry][$field] = $value;
$keys = array();
$date = "XX"; //clear them out...
$entry = "XX";
$field = "XX";

}

easy building? Extracting to put the information in the database, not
so much

foreach ($dates as $date) {
foreach($$date as $entry ) {
foreach($entry as $field =$value) {
$fieldNames[] = "'preappend" . $field "'";
$fieldValues[] = "'" . $value . "'";
}
$insertFields = implode(",", $fieldNames);
$insertFields .= ",preappendDate";
$insertValues = implode(",", $fieldValues);
$insertValues .= "," . $date;

mysql_query("INSERT INTO table $insertFileds VALUES
($insertValues)", $connection) or die("ya mutha");

$fieldNames = array(); //clean up <omitted the rest>
}
}
}

Is there a more efficient way of doing this? or did I put you asleep?
If it helps, this is basically an agenda builder.

[The Hajj]

Wow, no takers?