The Admin > Config page wont drop the database, however if you loose the include_config.php page, then the setup page will re-run to allow you to create a new setup. This will prompt you for database details, and will drop the database (if you select the option to do so).
In other words, if for some reason OA is unusable, simply delete or rename include_config.php and the setup page will run automatically. If you choose NOT to drop the database, at this stage, your data should be preserved, however, always take a backup of everything first. Remember, you can never have too many backups.
Hope this clarifies how things are designed to work. If by any chance you see some other results, then you have probably found a bug.
Tell us how to replicate it, and we will fix it.