The original image file never gets changed. PL creates a DOP sidecar with a record of any tools and parameters used, but the order of those items is not important - I know this because I have rearranged a DOP file in the past and it made absolutely no difference to how the image was rendered, either on screen or when exported.
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And to be precise:
PL writes corrections in the database and optionally creates a DOP sidecar with a record…
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I think I’d prefer not to have any demonising in my files, thank you very much. 
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That implies to me that the application does not necessarily need to adhere to the PL-determined sequence of adjustments when rendering the image on the display.
Correct, except you definitely should perform geometric adjustments first, including perspective if you also have Viewpoint installed. If you don’t, any masks applied with local adjustments or the repair tool prior to geometric adjustments may have shifted their location a bit
Mark
What I see on the screen is an image with all the edits in it. Except some denoising 
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My decision to correct that image is done on what I see. I know I can use any, or nearly any, sequence. I just don’t understand how PL is dealing with this.
George
True. If you customise progressing from rough changes to fine changes, you could loose the fine changes if you apply a rough change (e.g. an absolute preset).
It’s probably a good idea to establish a sequence, which can be very personal and follow that sequence. This could make editing easier in the long run (apart from disruptions caused by new features).
What do you mean by you don’t know how PL is dealing with this? While you are editing, and until you export, your adjustments to the image are only visible in memory. No file is updated until you export to Jpeg, Tiff, or DNG.
Mark
It’s about the sequence. My decision to change something in the image is done on the actual view of that image which is the result of former edits.
George
Hi George,
if you make some edits and it is not important in which sequence order you have done it, and than you make a change e.g. a red a little more red, than it’s also not important.
And when your first and last edit in a set of more changes is to change a blue twice and you see the result you want to have…all is ok also for export.
Or did I unterstand your post in a wrong way
It is unclear what you mean by the actual view and by former edits. Until you export a file, no edits are applied to anything permanently. They are only applied in memory temporarily while you’re editing in the viewer. The edits,are saved separately in the database and in the sidecar files and are reapplied on the fly to an image in memory from editing session to editing session.
That is the way non-destructive parametric editor’s work. The changes are only applied on the fly to the image you are viewing. That is one of the reasons it takes a little time for images to fully refresh when you change from one to another.
Mark
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A little more red based on what I see on my monitor. And what I see on my monitor is the result of former edits.
@mwsilvers
It’s not about saving the image to disk. It’s about editing.
George
and by exporting the image with all the edits you get the tif or dng or jpg as the result
Again, the sequence does not matter as long as one pushes a slider here or there. What matters are presets, that can (and will) obliterate some of what was carefully edited before.
The example is blunt: Carefully balance tones and colours first, then apply a B&W preset. Possibly not the smartest way to proceed, but PhotoLab will always give ua a preview of all we did to an image. 
I know it works that way. But the question is WHY?
George
And the counter question is - why not?
You can ask but doesn’t give an answer on the “why”.
The editing you do on an image is relative to the actual state of that image. And that state of that image is the result of former edits. There is no discussion about that.
George
I’m a little perplexed at the moment as to where this discussion is going.
We know there is a raw file
this is displayed within DXO as an editable image, but is not touched/changed by changes in the original.
All changes are written to the database and if activated to the sidecar .dop.
All changes are revocable or can be overwritten by new changes.
The changes are immediately visible on the screen (but do not change the original raw file).
If the displayed image is to be the result on the hard disk, I have to export the image.
The order of the processing steps within the export process is controlled by DXO and is relatively unimportant for us as users.
The result is a graphic file as JPG, TIF or DNG and can then be passed on.
Do we have an agreement for this list
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I understand it’s about editing, but your editing concerns are unclear to me. Perhaps you could express them by detailing step by step what you’re talking about.
Mark
Every time we change a setting, PhotoLab recalculates the preview. The calculations are done in a way/sequence that has roughly been described in one of the many posts out there.
Imagine addition, multiplication, subtraction and division. It does not matter if we add 5 to 7 or 7 to 5, the result will be the same. Sequence matters, if we divide. So, depending on what we do, the sequence must be arranged in a way to make sure to give us a valid result. PhotoLab does that for us.