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Note: The following is an excerpt from the actual document. It is provided here as a convenience and is not authoritative. Refer to the original document as the authoritative reference.

The Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) defines the syntax and processing semantics of assertions made about a subject by a system entity. In the course of making, or relying upon such assertions, SAML system entities may use other protocols to communicate either regarding an assertion itself, or the subject of an assertion. This specification defines both the structure of SAML assertions, and an associated set of protocols, in addition to the processing rules involved in managing a SAML system.

SAML assertions and protocol messages are encoded in XML [XML] and use XML namespaces [XMLNS]. They are typically embedded in other structures for transport, such as HTTP POST requests or XML-encoded SOAP messages. The SAML bindings specification [SAMLBind] provides frameworks for the embedding and transport of SAML protocol messages. The SAML profiles specification [SAMLProf] provides a baseline set of profiles for the use of SAML assertions and protocols to accomplish specific use cases or achieve interoperability when using SAML features.

For additional explanation of SAML terms and concepts, refer to the SAML technical overview [SAMLTechOvw] and the SAML glossary [SAMLGloss] . Files containing just the SAML assertion schema [SAML-XSD] and protocol schema [SAMLP-XSD] are also available. The SAML conformance document [SAMLConform] lists all of the specifications that comprise SAML V2.0.