Develop a utility to add new location codes to the so-called Branches table using a CSV file as input. Optionally permit updates (overlays) of existing location code entries so that the branch_code_num, name and/or is_public columns may be reassigned values in this way.

Our library has very granular location codes which describe branch (or collection subset of a branch such as a display area), audience, format and genre, loosely speaking. This amounts to 220-250 location codes per branch (or collection subset). We currently have over 5,000 distinct location codes in our Sierra database, and every time a new branch is established or renamed, a lot of manual effort is required to add or update those location code entries one at a time.

Using SQL to extract current location codes, and SQL, Excel or a text editor to perform string substitutions, a CSV file can be prepared fairly quickly. This utility would not have to be customer-facing; supplied with a CSV file uploaded as part of a Service Commitment, Support could run it. This would save development effort on a pretty user interface.