Taming Tabs with Temp

A simple solution to prevent drowning in a sea of untitled tabs when working in SSMS, Notepad++, or other similar tools. Bring order to the chaos!

Feb 15, 2025

At the bottom of my previous post I mentioned creating a visual aid for my problem solving master plan. My handwritten version kept on my desk has been invaluable. However, I haven't digitized it yet, and the handwritten version is not quite share worthy. So until then I'll share a workflow improvement tip that I found helpful! 🙂

The other day when working in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) I was using an unprecedented number of tabs, and wondered if I could rename them without saving the files. While I didn't find a way to rename the tab windows without saving them I did find an excellent suggestion from Brent Ozar. If you use SSMS or SQL Server frequently I HIGHLY recommend his work, it's a gold mine!

In his article, Fixing SQL Server Management Studio’s Tab Text, Brent mentions using a temporary directory (c:\temp) to save his queries while working on them. A solution so simple and elegant that you feel foolish for not considering it sooner.

“When I’m working, I save my queries in c:\temp with a short descriptive name. If I’m performance tuning, I’ll save them as Before.sql and After.sql, or maybe Index1.sql and Index2.sql. Presto, I can easily switch tabs without playing the guessing game.” — Brent Ozar

I also realized I could apply this solution to my Notepad++ workflow. I often have to compare multiple JSON data files, and being able to name them in this manner allows me to switch from file to file without hesitation.

Behold the daunting sea of 'new' tabs!

Fear not, for you have your temporary directory now to aid you.

And when you're done working you can knock them all out with a PowerShell one-liner!

I hope this tip is helpful, and inspires you to enhance your workflows in a similar manner!

Resources

• Brent Ozar – Fixing SQL Server Management Studio’s Tab Text