Hi all,

If one were to create a database inside a ram disk, and have a shadow
database on physical disk, would it yield any performance benefits, and have
protection against loss of power, due to the shadow DB on a real storage
device?

Sure, the shadow would need to be activated before use, but that's ok.

I guess the big question is, are shadow DB's updated in the same
transaction, or can they lag behind (updated asynchronously)?

Nige.