SUCCESS!!!
go to Window -> Work Space layout -> Reset '<your layout name>'
and Delete the Dreamweaver Cache file from the users configuration folder:
http://www.webassist.com/tutorials/Common-installation-issues
Great! that seems to have solved the problem.
I'm also interested in using the DataAssist extension and I've tried it. But what if I don't want to use your templates? My application is more custom than that. Where would I go to view more tutorials on that subject?