The transformation: text -> error level is common task - and PLpgSQL it does in pl_gram.y. My idea is to add new function to error utils named "parse_error_level" and use it from PLpgSQL and from your code.
Wouldn't it be better to create an ENUM of error levels instead of inventing more parsing code?
Do you think SQL ENUM? I little bit afraid about possible problems with pg_upgrade.
It is not simple question - the ENUM can be interesting from custom space perspective, but from our internal perspective the parsing function is more practical - and faster. The error level is our internal value, and users should not to read it - for this purpouse is error level.
Though, I guess ENUMs are case sensitive, but I'd rather solve that by creating a CI ENUM, which would be useful across the board... -- Jim Nasby, Data Architect, Blue Treble Consulting, Austin TX Experts in Analytics, Data Architecture and PostgreSQL Data in Trouble? Get it in Treble! http://BlueTreble.com