If i try the -f option for awk, i get the "awk: can't open " error message
The following awk statement works fine without the -f option
`awk <$RULES '/^IGNORE_POLICY / { print $2 }'`


Below how i turned on debugging to show what is happening, can someone provide me with some advice!!!!

$RULES = /home/nberrors_rules_jm_NEW.txt_TEST
$2 = ^219$ of the following (STATUS_MESSAGE ^219$ See BOA-NBU-1. Partial success)

MESSAGE=`awk <$RULES '/^STATUS_MESSAGE / && '$STCODE' ~ $2 { for(a=3;a<NF+1;a++) { printf "%s ",$a }}'`
...........
+ + awk /^STATUS_MESSAGE / && 219 ~ $2 { for(a=3;a<NF+1;a++) { printf "%s ",$a }}
+ 0< /home/nberrors_rules_jm_NEW.txt_TEST
awk: syntax error near line 1
awk: bailing out near line 1
MESSAGE=


STCODE_POL_MESSAGE=`awk <$RULES '/^STATUS_MESSAGE_POLICY / && '$STCODE' ~ $2 && toupper("'$POLICY'") ~ toupper($3) { for(a=4;a<NF+1;a++) { printf "%s ",$a }}'`
...........
+ + awk /^STATUS_MESSAGE_POLICY / && 219 ~ $2 && toupper("emacromsq14") ~ toupper($3) { for(a=4;a<NF+1;a++) { printf "%s ",$a }}
+ 0< /home/nberrors_rules_jm_NEW.txt_TEST
awk: syntax error near line 1
awk: bailing out near line 1
STCODE_POL_MESSAGE=

Your command-line syntax is confusing, but I do not see any program syntax errors. Maybe try... Make sure you are using the newer awk, called nawk on some systems.