1. A database system with improved update efficiency, the system comprising: one or more computing devices that, when activated, store and retrieve data in a table maintained in structures comprising a first, second, and third plurality of records, the first plurality of records corresponding to at least a subset of a column of the table and comprising a first record indicative of a value of the column for a row of the table, the second plurality of records indicative of logically deleted states for one or more of the first plurality of records, the third plurality of records comprising information indicative of propagation states of one or more rows of the table; and one or more memories having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, upon execution by the one or more computing devices, cause the system at least to: receive a request to delete the row from the table; determine, based at least in part on a key value, that the third plurality of records indicates that the value of the column has been propagated to the first plurality of records; store an additional record in a buffer, the additional record indicative of the row being in a logically deleted state, the additional record accessible in the buffer by the key value; and identify a position of the of the first record in the first plurality of records and, based on the position, update the second plurality of records to indicate that the row is in the logically deleted state.