DistinctRootEntityResultTransformer assumes that the root entity is last. IIRC, an HQL query returns the root entity last, so DistinctRootEntityResultTransformer should work properly for an HQL query.

The transformer would probably work for a native query using a SELECT clause like: SELECT c., ph. ...". If so, I'm OK with re-opening this as a documentation issue. WDYT?