---
title: Overview of the SP SSO flow
description: With the SDG CTS Integration Kit, PingFederate allows a service provider (SP) to start a SDG session with user attributes from the identity provider (IdP).
component: sdg
page_id: sdg:sdg_cts_integration_kit:pf_sdg_cts_ik_overview_sp_sso_flow
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/integrations/sdg/sdg_cts_integration_kit/pf_sdg_cts_ik_overview_sp_sso_flow.html
llms_txt: https://docs.pingidentity.com/integrations/sdg/llms.txt
docs_for_agents: https://developer.pingidentity.com/build-with-ai/docs-for-agents.md
revdate: October 22, 2026
section_ids:
  description: Description
---

# Overview of the SP SSO flow

With the SDG CTS Integration Kit, PingFederate allows a service provider (SP) *(tooltip: \<div class="paragraph">
\<p>In SAML, an entity that receives and accepts an authentication assertion issued by an IdP, typically for the purpose of allowing access to a protected resource.\</p>
\</div>)* to start a SDG session with user attributes from the identity provider (IdP) *(tooltip: \<div class="paragraph">
\<p>A service that manages identity information and provides authentication services to relying clients or SPs within a federated or distributed network.\</p>
\</div>)*.

The following figure illustrates an IdP-initiated single sign-on (SSO) *(tooltip: \<div class="paragraph">
\<p>The process of authenticating an identity (signing on) at one website (usually with a user ID and password) and then accessing resources secured by other domains without reauthenticating.\</p>
\</div>)* scenario where PingFederate uses the SDG CTS SP Adapter to parse an assertion and create an SDG session cookie.

![A diagram showing an example SSO flow using the SDG CTS SP Adapter and the CTS.](_images/pf_coreblox_ik_sp_sso_flow_overview.jpg)

## Description

1. The PingFederate SP server receives an assertion from the IdP.

2. PingFederate parses the assertion.

3. The SDG CTS SP Adapter uses the user attributes to create and authorize a session with the CTS.

4. The adapter redirects the browser with a request that contains the session cookie.