1. A computer-implemented method in a database partitioned based on a lifecycle state for database objects, each database object being a row in a table and the database objects being organized in a hierarchy, the method comprising: receiving, from an application program, a new lifecycle state for a root database object in the hierarchy; updating the lifecycle state for the root object, thereby causing a table row associated with the root object to change partitions in the database; locating a first database object that is a child of the root object in the hierarchy; applying an inheritance function associated with a class of the child object to determine a lifecycle state for the first database object; when the determined lifecycle state differs from a current lifecycle state for the first database object, changing the current lifecycle state to the determined lifecycle state and moving a table row for the first database object to a partition associated with the determined lifecycle state; and repeating the locating, applying, and changing for all children of the root object.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the new lifecycle state for the root object is a delete stage and the method further comprises: traversing the hierarchy from the root object, depth first, avoiding cycles; and at each leaf object of the hierarchy: determining that a lifecycle state for the leaf object is a deleted stage, and issuing a partitioning maintenance command for the database for the leaf object.