1. A method for determining metadata associated with a graph-based computation, the method including: functionally transforming metadata that specifies at least one characteristic of data processed by a first portion of a graph to generate transformed metadata that specifies at least one characteristic of data processed by a second portion of the graph; identifying a third portion of the graph related to the second portion of the graph by a link representing a data flow of data elements output from the second portion of the graph and received at the third portion of the graph; propagating the transformed metadata that was generated for the second portion for the second portion of the graph to the third portion of the graph according to the link representing the data flow of data elements; and generating a partial ordering of graph elements in the graph including a first graph element and the second graph element, the partial ordering determined at least in part by links representing data flows interconnecting the graph elements, and determining metadata of the graph elements according to the partial ordering.