First back up the database. I will also personally backup the table in the production database if something goes wrong and you need to go back to the old path in a hurry.
Next problem: do you have related tables that also need these identifiers? If not, you can update it using the update instructions. Write your update status so that you can choose and make sure that it will be updated correctly. If you make a lot of records, you can do it in batches of, say, 1000 records at a time. In one situation, you may need to monitor whether the identifier values overlap, direct updating may not work (you run a unique index). In this case, you need to add the column, fill it with new values, then divide the old column and rename the new one. You will also need a script from all indexes, fks, etc., because you will also need to restart them.
Linked tables are getting a lot more complicated, but a new column is the best way to go in this case.
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