>I would like to query the context of the "AS" used in this Select.
>to quote from the SQL help file - "The AS clause is the syntax defined
>in the SQL-92 standard for assigning a name to a result set column."
>Would the use of the AS clause, as used here, to assign a name to a table, conflict ?

Here's what I'm getting from Books Online:

[ FROM { < table_source > } [ ,...n ] ] 

< table_source > ::= 
    table_name [ [ AS ] table_alias ] [ WITH ( < table_hint > [ ,...n ] ) ] 
    | view_name [ [ AS ] table_alias ] [ WITH ( < view_hint > [ ,...n ] ) ] 
    | rowset_function [ [ AS ] table_alias ] 
    | user_defined_function [ [ AS ] table_alias ]
    | derived_table [ AS ] table_alias [ ( column_alias [ ,...n ] ) ] 
    | < joined_table >

So I would assume the answer is "no".