I just purchased Sonar Professional and to be honest, I don't like it.  I didn't like the download process, don't like the updates and having to be on the internet, hate the default view, and lack of paper manuals. 
 
I'm stuck with it, as I also bought a new computer and bought a new soundcard solely for this - a grand total for frustration.
 
I've contacted customer support via e-mail, but still have not heard - I can't deal with their hours (1 PM - 6 PM).  I've found time to type this but I won't be home from work until 7 PM.  Really?
 
I have used an ancient version of Cakewalk with an old computer before and I loved it.  Can I get Sonar to work like this?? 
 
I found the download process and command center confusing and not user-friendly.
 
How do I get the time scale view like I had on the old Cakewalk?  Not piano roll, not console and not event list.  Does session drummer have a decent manual.  I figured out how to program one measure but not how to save them. 
 
My goal last night was simply to download the Sonar without incident and get the timescale view (I think that is what they called it).  Mission not accomplished.  I think I downloaded the products, but no confirmation that it was properly activated. 
 
I'll install my Roland Quad-Capture tonight.  That has a very well-written, professional manual.       

Seems to me you haven't given it a chance and if you are used to an ancient version you're gonna have a big learning curve to really appreciate it for what it is.
 
Just a guess but maybe this "Time Scale" thing you're talking about is the Step Sequncer? Like a bunch of little boxes that you turn on and off to create beats and note sequences?
 
Otherwise you're gonna have to be a little more descriptive.

Welcome to the forum Anthony. It sounds to me that this version is a shock to you and you are lost.  My advice is stay with it and run some of the videos under Cake TV to get a feel for the program.
 
Also there is a manual that is over 2000 pages long with a tutorial section that is a good starting point. Forget every thing you knew about the old version and think new. Start fresh and look at it as an adventure. 
 
Then when you get stuck come here and ask a question. We are here 24 7.  

Just go to groove3.com website and go through the video tutorials, and never look back afterwards. It's a new tool and inevitably you are going to have to start more or less from scratch.

Sounds like a bad case of future shock! I really don't think it's possible to jump from an "ancient" version of a program to a modern version without being frustrated that your neural pathways need rejiggering. We've all been through it.

In this day and age you're going to have to download stuff off the internet and consult PDF manuals. The days of paper manuals are long gone and that's a good thing for the trees, however if you prefer a real manual then have a look at buying a Sonar book. Video courses like Groove3 are the way to go however. A little patience and effort in the early stages of learning Sonar will make things 1000% easier down the line.

Nothing to really say that hasn't already been said, but I had jumped from pre x version into x3(and now plAtinum) and I loved it. It did take a lil getting used to navigation wise. The downloading from the command center is rather easy to me. I never had to change paths for anything. I downloaded and installed and everything just starts up the way its sopposed to. Like the other guy said, I'm not sure what u mean by the time scale. U can access the piano roll/step sequencer by a right click on a midi track tho. If you have a direct descriptive question I'm sure many ppl here would happily answer for u and help u.

I once had a horse and now I have a car. Where do I put the hay? Man I am confused.

Sorry to say that most manufacturers nowadays do not provide written manuals, especially software vendors.  With a 2000 page Sonar manual, the cost of the software would go up significantly.  Even those who do provide a manual, they are usually a "Quick Start" manual and you still have to view the full .pdf manual to get all of the details.
 
Also, Sonar is not out of the ordinary.  If you were to buy any other DAW, it would be the same smell with manual and features.  That's the way Paint Shop Pro started out, small and simple shareware, but look at it now!  Fortunately, there are a zillion resources out there on the web like those that others have alluded to, including Cakewalk's own videos.  When I started doing this decades ago, these did not exist.  
 
Regards

Well you don't have to like Sonar. There's plenty of Daws around and maybe one of the others will fit you better.

I'm guessing the Time Scale you're referring to is simply the Track view: tracks listed down the left with time across the top. The time can be measured in a variety of forms including Samples, MBT (Measures Beats Ticks) SMPTE, HMS (Hours, Minutes, Seconds Frames). Just click the box with red numbers in it and with each click the type of measurement will change.

You probably need to do the tutorials as if you're a completely new user.

Man it's true that we are exceptionally lucky to have the internet as a resource these days. It's hard to remember what it was like back before the days when you could Google anything, ask detailed questions on forums, instantly dial up thousands of video tutorials and reference material etc. I remember learning how to program back in the early 90's with a language called AMOS, which I had boxed with a manual. The "manual" was basically a reference guide to all of the commands in alphabetical order. There was no getting started tutorial, no "first steps," nothing. I had to read that reference from front to back and slowly pick up an idea of how the language, and the development environment, worked. Couldn't ask any questions anywhere. But, I guess I was a lot more patient in those days (and there weren't so many distractions) so I slowly picked it up. 
 
Same with the first "DAW" I used, which was really a tracker called OctaMED. Had a pirate copy of it on floppy disc with no instructions. I just had to piece things together by trial and error, but by jove I did it and was making music in no time. I really wonder how I would have gotten on with Sonar under the same circumstances.