SOAP Version 1.2 Part 0: Primer
SOAP Version 1.2 Part 0: Primer

In particular, this primer describes the features of SOAP through various usage scenarios, and is intended to complement the normative text contained in SOAP Version 1.2 Part 1: Messaging Framework (hereafter [SOAP Part1]) and SOAP Version 1.2 Part 2: Adjuncts (hereafter [SOAP Part2]) of the SOAP Version 1.2 specifications.

It is expected that the reader has some familiarity with the basic syntax of XML, including the use of XML namespaces and infosets, and Web concepts such as URIs and HTTP. It is intended primarily for users of SOAP, such as application designers, rather than implementors of the SOAP specifications, although the latter may derive some benefit. This primer aims at highlighting the essential features of SOAP Version 1.2, not at completeness in describing every nuance or edge case. Therefore, there is no substitute for the main specifications to obtain a fuller understanding of SOAP. To that end, this primer provides extensive links to the main specifications wherever new concepts are introduced or used.…

This document (the primer) is not normative, which means that it does not provide the definitive specification of SOAP Version 1.2. The examples provided here are intended to complement the formal specifications, and in any question of interpretation the formal specifications naturally take precedence. The examples shown here provide a subset of the uses expected for SOAP. In actual usage scenarios, SOAP will most likely be a part of an overall solution, and there will no doubt be other application-specific requirements which are not captured in these examples.…

http://www.w3.org/TR/2003/PR-soap12-part1-20030507/
http://www.w3.org/TR/soap12-part0/#L1092
http://www.w3.org/TR/2003/PR-soap12-part2-20030507/
http://www.w3.org/TR/soap12-part0/#L1098
http://www.w3.org/TR/soap12-part0/#L1161