The logistics of transporting data are a major focus in enterprise analytics projects. Some records must be converted into a special format before they can be loaded into a number-crunching system, while others require extensive filtering to weed out errors.

StreamSets Inc. wants to help organizations work through the checklist more easily. For its efforts, the startup has received $20 million in funding announced today from venture capital giants Accel Partners, Battery Ventures and New Enterprise Associates. The cash will go toward developing new features for its flagship “data operations” platform.

The offering is made up of two tools, each designed to streamline a different aspect of transporting information. StreamSets Data Collector, the first component, provides the ability to create automated workflows for shuffling records from one system to another. Its capabilities are exposed through a graphical console that enables users to have data converted into the format used by the target environment and remove unwanted elements during the transfer. Moreover, the software logs changes so any error that might appear downstream can be traced back to its source.

Data Collector’s controls are joined by a set of monitoring features designed to help users check that everything goes smoothly. The software among others provides the ability to look for changes in the structure of incoming data that might require tweaking the import workflow. This feature is useful in scenarios where a company collects information from an external source, as a website or public database, that may be modified without notice.

Organizations requiring even deeper visibility can turn to Dataflow Performance Manager, the other component of StreamSets’ platform. It’s a monitoring console that provides the ability to centrally keep track of all the different information streams throughout a company.

The startup is positioning the platform as an alternative to traditional data management software from the likes of Informatica Corp., where StreamSets co-founder Girish Pancha served as chief product officer before striking out on his own. StreamSets has made Data Collector available under an open-source license as part of its efforts to lure companies away.

The strategy seems to be working. The startup claims that the free version has been downloaded more than 200,000 times to date, while the two paid editions it sells contributed to an eightfold increase in revenue last quarter. Notable customers include Cisco Systems Inc. and Cloudera Inc., the Hadoop distributor that hit the stock exchange last month.

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