I like it that DT offers just to index files and folders without importing.
In my case I have all my manuals and tech documents in a folder (with some subfolders) under my home directory. This folder is synced via OneDrive, which is synced to my MacBook (and to the GoodReader app on the iPad) - meaning I have all my documents everywhere!
Now I can index this folder with DT and gain excellent searchability through DT on macOS. And because the recorded path is relative to my home directory the files open on my MacBook as well - how cool is this!
Thanks for the feedback 
It’s indeed a fully supported usage scenario.
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Well, I just discovered that it doesn’t work completely as I’d say indexing is intended: One main advantage of indexing is that - if you want/need to keep the data external to DT - you keep the database size reasonably small. I my case:
Indexed files are: over 3GB, size of the database: 124MB.
So far so good. Exactly what I wanted. However when I synced this database, I fell nearly of my chair:
Size of the sync store: 2.8 GB!!!
This is on top of the online storage for the synced files themselves… Doesn’t seem to be a very smart way to communicating the changes between machines: After all each record on both machines knows where to look for the file (and does so for viewing) - why store an additional copy in the cloud???
Anyway, I still like the indexing option for files you use outside of DT.
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Have you unchecked Synchronize contents of indexed items in the Info for the Sync location?
Aaah, I wasn’t aware of this one. Have unchecked it for this sync location - on both devices I’m syncing the indexed database to.
However the sync store hasn’t reduced in size yet (I’ve waited half an hour).
I agree that this is a great feature of the app. In my case, I have quite a few documents that are sensitive in nature (third-party personal data and so forth that I have an obligation to keep secure).
I have all of my files in SpiderOak (secure alternative to Dropbox), so they are backed up online (helpful if anything goes wrong with my devices), everything is indexed with DEVONthink, and my DT files are synced via local wife / ad-hoc connection / or bluetooth. It’s pretty convenient and means that I can keep everything synced and secure. This is (as far as I know) impossible with any other app on a medium / large scale (I am 99.9% paperless, so we are talking about tens of thousands of files).
For me, having things indexed is important, because I want other apps to have free use of the data on my hard drive. However, if you are only thinking about DT, the fact that it can sync encrypted and secure through Dropbox (it encrypts the database in Dropbox) is a great alternative to the workflow I outlined above, particularly if you are not indexing your stuff.
This doesn’t affect already uploaded items, therefore just clean the sync store and upload the database again.
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Yep, cleaning and re-creating the sync store does the trick.
Size of sync store now: 45 MB
That is very reasonable. Thanks for your advice.