PCR 300/500/800 Memory Sets?

I have a PCR 800.  I've never really used it outside of being a midi controller in Sonar with the option of using it for ACT and a few other utility items.  What are you looking to do with it in terms of "memory sets"?  Not sure I'll have  a lot of input, but at least wanted to try to prime the pump, so to speak.

I've found that there are two uses:
 
1. Set each pad/slider/whatever manually, using the "edit" button in the lower left for the particular thing you want it to send, like a CC or note or whatever
 
2. Use it for ACT control if the synth you are trying to control will react to things via ACT, which I've found that most VST instruments will, but it can certainly be some work.
 
Is there something in particular you are trying to do or something that you can say is not working for you?

Well - if you are using ACT settings, they are not stored in the PCR itself, so it really wouldn't matter if you power down or not.
 
That said - I don't really understand the ACT learn, the relation to the ACT saved preset (top of the ACT window), and the connection (or not) to the actual Sonar project.  For example, using the Ultra Analog (built into Sonar Platinum), I changed an ACT setting so that knob R8 would control the Filter Resonance instead of the Filter Frequency.  I saved this as a new ACT preset.  When I switch between my default preset and the newly saved one, the setting is now the same between the two (the new setting I configured).  So I save the project, close Sonar, and re-open the project. Now, both ACT presets have the OLD value in them (Frequency) that R8 controls.
 
Further, I have stored an edited A8 button on my Edirol PCR-800.  I use this to trigger a certain Mute toggle that is common to all of my Sonar projects (for switching between headphones and speakers).  I programmed this from the front panel on the PCR-800 (since the PCR Edit software won't run on this computer at all).  I have this button set to not use ACT settings so that it only uses the midi key I've programmed into it.
 
If I completely power down the PCR-800, ... well now an hour or so later ...I've loaded and unloaded the thing, opened and closed projects in Sonar, done a few rain dances, and watched a few YouTube videos on everything except how to use Sonar, and I still don't understand what causes any of these things to save or not save.
 
I wish you luck!  For me, it's been a set a few things and forget them and hope the power doesn't go out, I guess.  I know how to re-create everything, but at this point I use the PCR as a midi controller, a special button to midi-remote control a single function in Sonar, hope for the buttons and sliders to work like I want them to to control ACT items in supported synths, and otherwise wish that I understood the inner-workings enough to even do a rough tutorial on them - which is what I set out to do when I started this post. 
 
I'm typically pretty adept at figuring things out, breaking them down, and explaining them to others, but this seems to be a random selection each time.  Kinda sad that this KB was made by Edirol (Roland) at the time when Sonar was owned by them, has a dedicated button (Dynamic Mappiung) that is specific to Sonar usage as far as I know, and still is difficult to fiddly to use (at best), and has no really useful Cakewalk documentation or videos in use to explain it.
 
Sorry I can't be of more help here!

Once a PCR is programmed the settings will be retained when the power is turned off. Or at least, that's how my PCR300 works so the others models should do the same.

The settings may rely on an internal battery which I suppose may fail at some point like a PC's BIOS battery might fail but that usually takes a good number of years.

For what it's worth, I found the PCR easier to program from its' front panel than using the editing software. And ACT is a bit of a confused and confusing mess and has been in need of a re-think and re-design for a long time.