oh its related.. i get the outputrecord.txt from the command u give earlier...
i used the sed coding you give which is
sed -n -e '/<record /{N;s_.*\(<record .*<\/record>\)_\1_p;}' in.txt
and i still getting the

my original message before getting the record tag is this
2005-12-05 10:53:17,551 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - message received...
2005-12-05 10:53:17,557 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - The XML message **************<berth_allocation xmln
s:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"><system_c>BPMS</system_c><trans_c>BPMSMessage</trans_c><trans_dt>2005-12-05T
10:55:07.324+08:00</trans_dt><message>&lt;record xmlns:xsi=&quot;http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-ins...&gt;&lt;func_c
&gt;C&lt;/func_c&gt;&lt;vv_c&gt;7688&lt;/vv_c&gt;&lt;vessel_m&gt;MSC ROBERTA&lt;/vessel_m&gt;&lt;abbr_vessel_m&gt;MSC ROBERTA&
lt;/abbr_vessel_m&gt;&lt;voyage_out_n&gt;90A&lt;/voyage_out_n&gt;&lt;abbr_voyage_out_n&gt;90A&lt;/abbr_voyage_out_n&gt;&lt;voy
age_in_n&gt;90A&lt;/voyage_in_n&gt;&lt;abbr_voyage_in_n&gt;90A&lt;/abbr_voyage_in_n&gt;&lt;berth_seq_n&gt;1&lt;/berth_seq_n&gt
;&lt;terminal_c&gt; &lt;/terminal_c&gt;&lt;old_terminal_c&gt; &lt;/old_terminal_c&gt;&lt;position_from_n&gt;0&lt;/position_fro
m_n&gt;&lt;position_to_n&gt;0&lt;/position_to_n&gt;&lt;wharfside_i&gt;P&lt;/wharfside_i&gt;&lt;qc_rate_q&gt;24.4&lt;/qc_rate_q
&gt;&lt;qc_intensity_q&gt;2.9&lt;/qc_intensity_q&gt;&lt;location_from_c&gt;P21&lt;/location_from_c&gt;&lt;location_to_c&gt;P21
&lt;/location_to_c&gt;&lt;berth_pilot_i&gt;true&lt;/berth_pilot_i&gt;&lt;unberth_pilot_i&gt;true&lt;/unberth_pilot_i&gt;&lt;de
lay_c&gt; &lt;/delay_c&gt;&lt;status_c&gt; &lt;/status_c&gt;&lt;btr_dt&gt;2005-12-13T13:00:00.000+08:00&lt;/btr_dt&gt;&lt;prio
rity_c&gt;C7&lt;/priority_c&gt;&lt;scheme_qualify_i&gt;X&lt;/scheme_qualify_i&gt;&lt;section_n&gt;-1&lt;/section_n&gt;&lt;/rec
ord&gt;</message><user_id_n>BA</user_id_n></berth_allocation>
2005-12-05 10:53:17,615 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - Root Node is [berth_allocation]
2005-12-05 10:53:17,626 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - XML messages retrieved:<record xmlns:xsi="http://www
.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"><func_c>C</func_c><vv_c>7688</vv_c><vessel_m>MSC ROBERTA</vessel_m><abbr_vessel_m>MSC ROBERTA
</abbr_vessel_m><voyage_out_n>90A</voyage_out_n><abbr_voyage_out_n>90A</abbr_voyage_out_n><voyage_in_n>90A</voyage_in_n><abbr_
voyage_in_n>90A</abbr_voyage_in_n><berth_seq_n>1</berth_seq_n><terminal_c> </terminal_c><old_terminal_c> </old_terminal_c><pos
ition_from_n>0</position_from_n><position_to_n>0</position_to_n><wharfside_i>P</wharfside_i><qc_rate_q>24.4</qc_rate_q><qc_int
ensity_q>2.9</qc_intensity_q><location_from_c>P21</location_from_c><location_to_c>P21</location_to_c><berth_pilot_i>true</bert
h_pilot_i><unberth_pilot_i>true</unberth_pilot_i><delay_c> </delay_c><status_c> </status_c><btr_dt>2005-12-13T13:00:00.000+08:
00</btr_dt><priority_c>C7</priority_c><scheme_qualify_i>X</scheme_qualify_i><section_n>-1</section_n></record>
2005-12-05 10:53:17,641 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - etb is null
2005-12-05 10:53:17,642 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - old_etb_dt is null
2005-12-05 10:53:17,643 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - etu_dt is null
2005-12-05 10:53:17,643 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - old_etu_dt is null
2005-12-05 10:53:26,108 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - message received...
2005-12-05 10:53:26,109 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - The XML message **************<berth_allocation xmln
s:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"><system_c>BPMS</system_c><trans_c>BPMSMessage</trans_c><trans_dt>2005-12-05T
10:55:16.169+08:00</trans_dt><message>&lt;record xmlns:xsi=&quot;http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-ins...&gt;&lt;func_c
&gt;C&lt;/func_c&gt;&lt;vv_c&gt;7686&lt;/vv_c&gt;&lt;vessel_m&gt;MSC ROBERTA&lt;/vessel_m&gt;&lt;abbr_vessel_m&gt;MSC ROBERTA&
lt;/abbr_vessel_m&gt;&lt;voyage_out_n&gt;2007EA&lt;/voyage_out_n&gt;&lt;abbr_voyage_out_n&gt;2007EA&lt;/abbr_voyage_out_n&gt;&
lt;voyage_in_n&gt;2007EA&lt;/voyage_in_n&gt;&lt;abbr_voyage_in_n&gt;2007EA&lt;/abbr_voyage_in_n&gt;&lt;berth_seq_n&gt;1&lt;/be
rth_seq_n&gt;&lt;terminal_c&gt; &lt;/terminal_c&gt;&lt;old_terminal_c&gt; &lt;/old_terminal_c&gt;&lt;position_from_n&gt;0&lt;/
position_from_n&gt;&lt;position_to_n&gt;0&lt;/position_to_n&gt;&lt;wharfside_i&gt;P&lt;/wharfside_i&gt;&lt;qc_rate_q&gt;24.4&l
t;/qc_rate_q&gt;&lt;qc_intensity_q&gt;2.9&lt;/qc_intensity_q&gt;&lt;location_from_c&gt;AEW&lt;/location_from_c&gt;&lt;location
_to_c&gt;AEW&lt;/location_to_c&gt;&lt;berth_pilot_i&gt;true&lt;/berth_pilot_i&gt;&lt;unberth_pilot_i&gt;true&lt;/unberth_pilot
_i&gt;&lt;delay_c&gt; &lt;/delay_c&gt;&lt;status_c&gt; &lt;/status_c&gt;&lt;btr_dt&gt;2005-12-13T12:00:00.000+08:00&lt;/btr_dt
&gt;&lt;priority_c&gt;C7&lt;/priority_c&gt;&lt;scheme_qualify_i&gt;X&lt;/scheme_qualify_i&gt;&lt;section_n&gt;-1&lt;/section_n
&gt;&lt;/record&gt;</message><user_id_n>BA</user_id_n></berth_allocation>
2005-12-05 10:53:26,119 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - Root Node is [berth_allocation]
2005-12-05 10:53:26,130 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - XML messages retrieved:<record xmlns:xsi="http://www
.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"><func_c>C</func_c><vv_c>7686</vv_c><vessel_m>MSC ROBERTA</vessel_m><abbr_vessel_m>MSC ROBERTA
</abbr_vessel_m><voyage_out_n>2007EA</voyage_out_n><abbr_voyage_out_n>2007EA</abbr_voyage_out_n><voyage_in_n>2007EA</voyage_in
_n><abbr_voyage_in_n>2007EA</abbr_voyage_in_n><berth_seq_n>1</berth_seq_n><terminal_c> </terminal_c><old_terminal_c> </old_ter
minal_c><position_from_n>0</position_from_n><position_to_n>0</position_to_n><wharfside_i>P</wharfside_i><qc_rate_q>24.4</qc_ra
te_q><qc_intensity_q>2.9</qc_intensity_q><location_from_c>AEW</location_from_c><location_to_c>AEW</location_to_c><berth_pilot_
i>true</berth_pilot_i><unberth_pilot_i>true</unberth_pilot_i><delay_c> </delay_c><status_c> </status_c><btr_dt>2005-12-13T12:0
0:00.000+08:00</btr_dt><priority_c>C7</priority_c><scheme_qualify_i>X</scheme_qualify_i><section_n>-1</section_n></record>
2005-12-05 10:53:26,150 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - etb is null
2005-12-05 10:53:26,151 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - old_etb_dt is null
2005-12-05 10:53:26,152 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - etu_dt is null
2005-12-05 10:53:26,153 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - old_etu_dt is null
2005-12-05 10:53:34,626 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - message received...

after i use your command to get the <record> i still get a line of coding which is this and i need to delete it..

2005-12-05 10:53:34,663 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - etb is null
<record xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"><func_c>C</func_c><vv_c>7701</vv_c><vessel_m>DEMO</vessel_m><abb
r_vessel_m>DEMO</abbr_vessel_m><voyage_out_n>1234</voyage_out_n><abbr_voyage_out_n>1234</abbr_voyage_out_n><voyage_in_n>1234</
voyage_in_n><abbr_voyage_in_n>1234</abbr_voyage_in_n><berth_seq_n>1</berth_seq_n><terminal_c> </terminal_c><old_terminal_c> </
old_terminal_c><position_from_n>0</position_from_n><position_to_n>0</position_to_n><wharfside_i> </wharfside_i><qc_rate_q>20.0
</qc_rate_q><qc_intensity_q>3.0</qc_intensity_q><location_from_c>AEW</location_from_c><location_to_c>SEAW</location_to_c><bert
h_pilot_i>true</berth_pilot_i><unberth_pilot_i>true</unberth_pilot_i><delay_c> </delay_c><status_c> </status_c><btr_dt>2005-12
-25T12:00:00.000+08:00</btr_dt><priority_c>C7</priority_c><scheme_qualify_i>X</scheme_qualify_i><section_n>-1</section_n></rec
ord>
2005-12-05 10:53:46,970 [ExecuteThread: '0' for queue: 'default'] INFO - etb is null
<record xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"><func_c>C</func_c><vv_c>7686</vv_c><vessel_m>MSC ROBERTA</vessel
_m><abbr_vessel_m>MSC ROBERTA</abbr_vessel_m><voyage_out_n>2007EA</voyage_out_n><abbr_voyage_out_n>2007EA</abbr_voyage_out_n><
voyage_in_n>2007EA</voyage_in_n><abbr_voyage_in_n>2007EA</abbr_voyage_in_n><berth_seq_n>1</berth_seq_n><terminal_c> </terminal
_c><old_terminal_c> </old_terminal_c><position_from_n>0</position_from_n><position_to_n>0</position_to_n><wharfside_i>P</wharf
side_i><qc_rate_q>24.4</qc_rate_q><qc_intensity_q>2.9</qc_intensity_q><location_from_c>AEW</location_from_c><location_to_c>AEW
</location_to_c><berth_pilot_i>true</berth_pilot_i><unberth_pilot_i>true</unberth_pilot_i><delay_c> </delay_c><status_c> </sta
tus_c><btr_dt>2005-12-13T12:00:00.000+08:00</btr_dt><priority_c>C7</priority_c><scheme_qualify_i>X</scheme_qualify_i><section_
n>-1</section_n></record>

sorry to trouble u again...