Actually, it’s not that the “Database disassociates with the DOP files” - Rather, when you run a Keyword search, the search is applied to the database (where keywords are stored) … and the problem arises when the resulting image files cannot be located, because the reference is to a drive that no longer exists (because the reference is very specific … as noted in the manual).
You can rebuild your database without losing any of your image corrections (assuming you have all your sidecar/dop files) - but that doesn’t really solve your problem, because keywords are not stored in sidecar files - and, therefore, cannot be restored from there.
John M