title: Validation failed for query for method public abstract java.util.List
body: <p>I have a basic SpringBoot app. using Spring Initializer, JPA, embedded Tomcat, Thymeleaf template engine, and package as an executable JAR file.
  The version of SpringBoot is 2.0.1.RELEASE. 
  I've created a class repository that extends from CrudRepository with this method</p>
  
  <pre><code>@Query("select us.priceAlertsTapas.tapa from User us left join us.priceAlertsTapas  pat left join pat.tapa tapa where pat.priceAlert = ?1")
      List&lt;Tapa&gt; tapasByUserPriceAlert (PriceAlert pa);
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>But when I init the project I got this error:</p>
  
  <pre><code>Validation failed for query for method public abstract java.util.List
  
  
  
      at org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.query.SimpleJpaQuery.validateQuery(SimpleJpaQuery.java:93)
      at org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.query.SimpleJpaQuery.&lt;init&gt;(SimpleJpaQuery.java:63)
      at org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.query.JpaQueryFactory.fromMethodWithQueryString(JpaQueryFactory.java:76)
      at org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.query.JpaQueryFactory.fromQueryAnnotation(JpaQueryFactory.java:56)
      at org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.query.JpaQueryLookupStrategy$DeclaredQueryLookupStrategy.resolveQuery(JpaQueryLookupStrategy.java:139)
      at org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.query.JpaQueryLookupStrategy$CreateIfNotFoundQueryLookupStrategy.resolveQuery(JpaQueryLookupStrategy.java:206)
      at org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.query.JpaQueryLookupStrategy$AbstractQueryLookupStrategy.resolveQuery(JpaQueryLookupStrategy.java:79)
      at org.springframework.data.repository.core.support.RepositoryFactorySupport$QueryExecutorMethodInterceptor.lookupQuery(RepositoryFactorySupport.java:553)
      at org.springframework.data.repository.core.support.RepositoryFactorySupport$QueryExecutorMethodInterceptor.lambda$mapMethodsToQuery$1(RepositoryFactorySupport.java:546)
      at java.util.stream.ReferencePipeline$3$1.accept(ReferencePipeline.java:193)
      at java.util.Iterator.forEachRemaining(Iterator.java:116)
      at java.util.Collections$UnmodifiableCollection$1.forEachRemaining(Collections.java:1049)
      at java.util.Spliterators$IteratorSpliterator.forEachRemaining(Spliterators.java:1801)
      at java.util.stream.AbstractPipeline.copyInto(AbstractPipeline.java:481)
      at java.util.stream.AbstractPipeline.wrapAndCopyInto(AbstractPipeline.java:471)
      at java.util.stream.ReduceOps$ReduceOp.evaluateSequential(ReduceOps.java:708)
      at java.util.stream.AbstractPipeline.evaluate(AbstractPipeline.java:234)
      at java.util.stream.ReferencePipeline.collect(ReferencePipeline.java:499)
      at org.springframework.data.repository.core.support.RepositoryFactorySupport$QueryExecutorMethodInterceptor.mapMethodsToQuery(RepositoryFactorySupport.java:548)
      at org.springframework.data.repository.core.support.RepositoryFactorySupport$QueryExecutorMethodInterceptor.lambda$new$0(RepositoryFactorySupport.java:538)
      at java.util.Optional.map(Optional.java:215)
      at org.springframework.data.repository.core.support.RepositoryFactorySupport$QueryExecutorMethodInterceptor.&lt;init&gt;(RepositoryFactorySupport.java:538)
      at org.springframework.data.repository.core.support.RepositoryFactorySupport.getRepository(RepositoryFactorySupport.java:317)
      at org.springframework.data.repository.core.support.RepositoryFactoryBeanSupport.lambda$afterPropertiesSet$3(RepositoryFactoryBeanSupport.java:287)
      at org.springframework.data.util.Lazy.getNullable(Lazy.java:141)
      at org.springframework.data.util.Lazy.get(Lazy.java:63)
      at org.springframework.data.repository.core.support.RepositoryFactoryBeanSupport.afterPropertiesSet(RepositoryFactoryBeanSupport.java:290)
      at org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.support.JpaRepositoryFactoryBean.afterPropertiesSet(JpaRepositoryFactoryBean.java:102)
      at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.invokeInitMethods(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1761)
      at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.initializeBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1698)
      ... 47 common frames omitted
  Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException: null
      at org.hibernate.hql.internal.ast.HqlSqlWalker.createFromJoinElement(HqlSqlWalker.java:424)
      at org.hibernate.hql.internal.antlr.HqlSqlBaseWalker.joinElement(HqlSqlBaseWalker.java:3931)
      at org.hibernate.hql.internal.antlr.HqlSqlBaseWalker.fromElement(HqlSqlBaseWalker.java:3717)
      at org.hibernate.hql.internal.antlr.HqlSqlBaseWalker.fromElementList(HqlSqlBaseWalker.java:3595)
      at org.hibernate.hql.internal.antlr.HqlSqlBaseWalker.fromClause(HqlSqlBaseWalker.java:720)
      at org.hibernate.hql.internal.antlr.HqlSqlBaseWalker.query(HqlSqlBaseWalker.java:576)
      at org.hibernate.hql.internal.antlr.HqlSqlBaseWalker.selectStatement(HqlSqlBaseWalker.java:313)
      at org.hibernate.hql.internal.antlr.HqlSqlBaseWalker.statement(HqlSqlBaseWalker.java:261)
      at org.hibernate.hql.internal.ast.QueryTranslatorImpl.analyze(QueryTranslatorImpl.java:266)
      at org.hibernate.hql.internal.ast.QueryTranslatorImpl.doCompile(QueryTranslatorImpl.java:189)
      at org.hibernate.hql.internal.ast.QueryTranslatorImpl.compile(QueryTranslatorImpl.java:141)
      at org.hibernate.engine.query.spi.HQLQueryPlan.&lt;init&gt;(HQLQueryPlan.java:115)
      at org.hibernate.engine.query.spi.HQLQueryPlan.&lt;init&gt;(HQLQueryPlan.java:77)
      at org.hibernate.engine.query.spi.QueryPlanCache.getHQLQueryPlan(QueryPlanCache.java:153)
      at org.hibernate.internal.AbstractSharedSessionContract.getQueryPlan(AbstractSharedSessionContract.java:553)
      at org.hibernate.internal.AbstractSharedSessionContract.createQuery(AbstractSharedSessionContract.java:662)
      at org.hibernate.internal.AbstractSessionImpl.createQuery(AbstractSessionImpl.java:23)
      at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
      at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
      at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
      at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
      at org.springframework.orm.jpa.ExtendedEntityManagerCreator$ExtendedEntityManagerInvocationHandler.invoke(ExtendedEntityManagerCreator.java:350)
      at com.sun.proxy.$Proxy105.createQuery(Unknown Source)
      at org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.query.SimpleJpaQuery.validateQuery(SimpleJpaQuery.java:87)
      ... 76 common frames omitted
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>With the solution proposed I got the same error</p>
  
  <p>With this query I have also the same error (?!?)</p>
  
  <pre><code> @Query("select us.priceAlertsTapas.tapa from User us ")
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Here the User object:</p>
  
  <pre><code>@Entity
  @Table(name="t_user")
  public class User implements Serializable, UserDetails {
  
  ...
  
  @ManyToMany
      @JoinTable(
          name="t_user_price_alert_tapa",
          joinColumns=@JoinColumn(name="user_id", referencedColumnName="id"),
          inverseJoinColumns=@JoinColumn(name="price_alert_tapa_id", referencedColumnName="id"))
      private Set&lt;PriceAlertTapa&gt; priceAlertsTapas = new HashSet&lt;&gt;();
  }
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>and</p>
  
  <pre><code>@Entity
  @Table(name="t_price_alert")
  public class PriceAlert implements Serializable {
  
      /**
       * 
       */
      private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
  
  
      public PriceAlert(int id) {
          super();
          this.id = id;
      }
  
  
      @Id
      @GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.IDENTITY)
      private Integer id; 
  
      private String name;
  
  ...
  
      }
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>and</p>
  
  <pre><code>@Entity
  @Table(name="t_price_alert_tapa")
  public class PriceAlertTapa  implements Serializable {
  
      /**
       * 
       */
      private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
  
  
      @Id
      @GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.IDENTITY)
      private long id;
  
  
      public PriceAlertTapa(PriceAlert priceAlert, Tapa tapa) {
          super();
          this.tapa = tapa;
          this.priceAlert = priceAlert;
      }
  
      private Tapa tapa;
  
      private PriceAlert priceAlert;
  ..
  }
  </code></pre>