[mattcanhack]

I was one of two developers on a team of 30 analysts and I would regularly get requests to add employee details (name, manager, director, email) to various spreadsheets. It wasn't difficult but it was a tedious process that took away from far more interesting problems.

Eventually I built a small web app that would allow a user to upload their spreadsheet and have employee details added based on some identifier. It was an enterprise so there was at least three unique ways to match someone. I wrote most of it in one night and spent evenings fixing bugs for a week. While it was very useful, it wasn't "core business" so I didn't get to spend any work time making upgrades.

Eight years later, I still get an occasional email but I no longer have access to the source or server. Definitely a lesson in how long shitty code an live.