Need help understanding desktop/handheld relationship

Long time Shadow user, HH and DT; however, desktop usage has been
limited compared to HH. Wanting to utilize DT more these days. Here
are a few issues I need to understand more clearly:

1. Am I correct that files on my memory card have NO ASSOCIATION
whatsoever with what is backed up on and/or synced with the desktop?

2. If a given file is being actively used and I want to be able to
modify it on the HH or DT, is there any value in keeping this on the
card? I assume so only if I need the memory, and in that case I assume
I need to "move to card" (not copy) before I hotsync so that it makes
it to the DT. Correct?

3. On the DT my visual list of outlines shows 8 outlines, including a
new one I created a couple weeks ago that appears to have been synced
properly onto my HH. Yet when I choose "Open..." I see a list of 10
outlines (8 are the same as what I see on the DT UI, plus two others
that I have previously used). Why?

4. I have also created a "test" outline on the HH and upon sync it is
not visible in EITHER of the aforementioned list of files. However, 
when I click on the last outline listed on the DT UI, it opens the
"test" list--although it is an old outline with a totally different
name!! What the heck?

5. When on choose "Open raw..." all I see are 3 files, all three of
which are presently in internal memory on the HH (other files with
corresponding names on the DT are presently on my HH memory card).
When/why would I want to open/modify on the DT a "raw" file (PDB) vs.
a "normal" file (XML)?


All this to say, all I want to is sync correctly between HH and DT so
as to modify on either when necessary and keep them synced. However,
even after scouring the manuals I am confused as to how this is
supposed to work vs. what I'm actually seeing. Further, I want to
utilize my HH memory card properly as it relates to my Shadow files.

Thanks for helping me "get it."  :)

Mark
Treo 755p
Shadow 4.3.1