diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/AvailableSettings.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/AvailableSettings.java
index 9c93a824d7..c33817137f 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/AvailableSettings.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/AvailableSettings.java
@@ -604,7 +604,7 @@ public interface AvailableSettings {
 	public static final String INTERCEPTOR = "hibernate.sessionFactory.interceptor";
 
 	/**
-	 * Setting which defines the order (and therefore precedence) in whcih Hibernate will process mapping information.
+	 * Setting which defines the order (and therefore precedence) in which Hibernate will process mapping information.
 	 * Valid values include: <ul>
 	 *     <li>{@code hbm}</li>
 	 *     <li>{@code class}</li>
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/TypeSafeActivator.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/TypeSafeActivator.java
index b2bc5a143c..449d2d34ae 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/TypeSafeActivator.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/TypeSafeActivator.java
@@ -23,22 +23,18 @@
  */
 package org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation;
 
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.HashSet;
-import java.util.Iterator;
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Properties;
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.StringTokenizer;
 import javax.validation.Validation;
 import javax.validation.ValidatorFactory;
-import javax.validation.constraints.Digits;
-import javax.validation.constraints.Max;
-import javax.validation.constraints.Min;
-import javax.validation.constraints.NotNull;
-import javax.validation.constraints.Size;
 import javax.validation.metadata.BeanDescriptor;
 import javax.validation.metadata.ConstraintDescriptor;
 import javax.validation.metadata.PropertyDescriptor;
@@ -48,17 +44,21 @@ import org.jboss.logging.Logger;
 import org.hibernate.AssertionFailure;
 import org.hibernate.HibernateException;
 import org.hibernate.MappingException;
+import org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation.ddl.DigitsSchemaConstraint;
+import org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation.ddl.LengthSchemaConstraint;
+import org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation.ddl.MaxSchemaConstraint;
+import org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation.ddl.MinSchemaConstraint;
+import org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation.ddl.NotNullSchemaConstraint;
+import org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation.ddl.SchemaConstraint;
+import org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation.ddl.SizeSchemaConstraint;
 import org.hibernate.dialect.Dialect;
 import org.hibernate.event.service.spi.EventListenerRegistry;
 import org.hibernate.event.spi.EventType;
 import org.hibernate.internal.CoreMessageLogger;
 import org.hibernate.internal.util.ReflectHelper;
-import org.hibernate.internal.util.StringHelper;
-import org.hibernate.mapping.Column;
 import org.hibernate.mapping.Component;
 import org.hibernate.mapping.PersistentClass;
 import org.hibernate.mapping.Property;
-import org.hibernate.mapping.SingleTableSubclass;
 
 /**
  * @author Emmanuel Bernard
@@ -66,13 +66,27 @@ import org.hibernate.mapping.SingleTableSubclass;
  */
 class TypeSafeActivator {
 
-    private static final CoreMessageLogger LOG = Logger.getMessageLogger(CoreMessageLogger.class, TypeSafeActivator.class.getName());
+	private static final CoreMessageLogger LOG = Logger.getMessageLogger(
+			CoreMessageLogger.class,
+			TypeSafeActivator.class.getName()
+	);
 
 	private static final String FACTORY_PROPERTY = "javax.persistence.validation.factory";
+	private static final List<SchemaConstraint> schemaConstraints;
+	private static final NotNullSchemaConstraint notNullSchemaConstraint = new NotNullSchemaConstraint();
 
-	@SuppressWarnings( {"UnusedDeclaration"})
+	static {
+		schemaConstraints = new ArrayList<SchemaConstraint>();
+		schemaConstraints.add( new DigitsSchemaConstraint() );
+		schemaConstraints.add( new SizeSchemaConstraint() );
+		schemaConstraints.add( new MinSchemaConstraint() );
+		schemaConstraints.add( new MaxSchemaConstraint() );
+		schemaConstraints.add( new LengthSchemaConstraint() );
+	}
+
+	@SuppressWarnings({ "UnusedDeclaration" })
 	public static void validateFactory(Object object) {
-		if ( ! ValidatorFactory.class.isInstance( object ) ) {
+		if ( !ValidatorFactory.class.isInstance( object ) ) {
 			throw new HibernateException(
 					"Given object was not an instance of " + ValidatorFactory.class.getName()
 							+ "[" + object.getClass().getName() + "]"
@@ -80,7 +94,7 @@ class TypeSafeActivator {
 		}
 	}
 
-	@SuppressWarnings( {"UnusedDeclaration"})
+	@SuppressWarnings({ "UnusedDeclaration" })
 	public static void activateBeanValidation(EventListenerRegistry listenerRegistry, Properties properties) {
 		ValidatorFactory factory = getValidatorFactory( properties );
 		BeanValidationEventListener listener = new BeanValidationEventListener(
@@ -96,7 +110,7 @@ class TypeSafeActivator {
 		listener.initialize( properties );
 	}
 
-	@SuppressWarnings( {"UnusedDeclaration"})
+	@SuppressWarnings({ "UnusedDeclaration" })
 	public static void applyDDL(Collection<PersistentClass> persistentClasses, Properties properties, Dialect dialect) {
 		ValidatorFactory factory = getValidatorFactory( properties );
 		Class<?>[] groupsArray = new GroupsPerOperation( properties ).get( GroupsPerOperation.Operation.DDL );
@@ -119,12 +133,93 @@ class TypeSafeActivator {
 			try {
 				applyDDL( "", persistentClass, clazz, factory, groups, true, dialect );
 			}
-			catch (Exception e) {
+			catch ( Exception e ) {
 				LOG.unableToApplyConstraints( className, e );
 			}
 		}
 	}
 
+	private static void applyDDL(String prefix,
+								 PersistentClass persistentClass,
+								 Class<?> clazz,
+								 ValidatorFactory factory,
+								 Set<Class<?>> groups,
+								 boolean activateNotNull,
+								 Dialect dialect) {
+		final BeanDescriptor descriptor = factory.getValidator().getConstraintsForClass( clazz );
+		for ( PropertyDescriptor propertyDesc : descriptor.getConstrainedProperties() ) {
+			Property property = findPropertyByName( persistentClass, prefix + propertyDesc.getPropertyName() );
+			boolean hasNotNull;
+			if ( property != null ) {
+				hasNotNull = applyConstraints(
+						propertyDesc.getConstraintDescriptors(),
+						property,
+						propertyDesc,
+						groups,
+						activateNotNull,
+						dialect
+				);
+				if ( property.isComposite() && propertyDesc.isCascaded() ) {
+					Class<?> componentClass = ( ( Component ) property.getValue() ).getComponentClass();
+
+					/*
+					 * we can apply not null if the upper component let's us activate not null
+					 * and if the property is not null.
+					 * Otherwise, all sub columns should be left nullable
+					 */
+					final boolean canSetNotNullOnColumns = activateNotNull && hasNotNull;
+					applyDDL(
+							prefix + propertyDesc.getPropertyName() + ".",
+							persistentClass,
+							componentClass,
+							factory,
+							groups,
+							canSetNotNullOnColumns,
+							dialect
+					);
+				}
+				//FIXME add collection of components
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	private static boolean applyConstraints(Set<ConstraintDescriptor<?>> constraintDescriptors,
+											Property property,
+											PropertyDescriptor propertyDescriptor,
+											Set<Class<?>> groups,
+											boolean canApplyNotNull,
+											Dialect dialect
+	) {
+		boolean hasNotNull = false;
+		for ( ConstraintDescriptor<?> constraintDescriptor : constraintDescriptors ) {
+			if ( groups != null && Collections.disjoint( constraintDescriptor.getGroups(), groups ) ) {
+				continue;
+			}
+
+			if ( canApplyNotNull ) {
+				hasNotNull = hasNotNull || notNullSchemaConstraint.applyConstraint(
+						property,
+						constraintDescriptor,
+						propertyDescriptor,
+						dialect
+				);
+			}
+
+			for ( SchemaConstraint schemaConstraint : schemaConstraints ) {
+				schemaConstraint.applyConstraint( property, constraintDescriptor, propertyDescriptor, dialect );
+			}
+
+			// pass an empty set as composing constraints inherit the main constraint and thus are matching already
+			hasNotNull = hasNotNull || applyConstraints(
+					constraintDescriptor.getComposingConstraints(),
+					property, propertyDescriptor, null,
+					canApplyNotNull,
+					dialect
+			);
+		}
+		return hasNotNull;
+	}
+
 //    public static void applyDDL( Iterable<EntityBinding> bindings,
 //                                 Properties properties,
 //                                 ClassLoaderService classLoaderService ) {
@@ -144,43 +239,6 @@ class TypeSafeActivator {
 //        }
 //    }
 
-	private static void applyDDL(String prefix,
-								 PersistentClass persistentClass,
-								 Class<?> clazz,
-								 ValidatorFactory factory,
-								 Set<Class<?>> groups,
-								 boolean activateNotNull,
-                                 Dialect dialect) {
-		final BeanDescriptor descriptor = factory.getValidator().getConstraintsForClass( clazz );
-		//no bean level constraints can be applied, go to the properties
-
-		for ( PropertyDescriptor propertyDesc : descriptor.getConstrainedProperties() ) {
-			Property property = findPropertyByName( persistentClass, prefix + propertyDesc.getPropertyName() );
-			boolean hasNotNull;
-			if ( property != null ) {
-				hasNotNull = applyConstraints(
-						propertyDesc.getConstraintDescriptors(), property, propertyDesc, groups, activateNotNull, dialect
-				);
-				if ( property.isComposite() && propertyDesc.isCascaded() ) {
-					Class<?> componentClass = ( (Component) property.getValue() ).getComponentClass();
-
-					/*
-					 * we can apply not null if the upper component let's us activate not null
-					 * and if the property is not null.
-					 * Otherwise, all sub columns should be left nullable
-					 */
-					final boolean canSetNotNullOnColumns = activateNotNull && hasNotNull;
-					applyDDL(
-							prefix + propertyDesc.getPropertyName() + ".",
-							persistentClass, componentClass, factory, groups,
-							canSetNotNullOnColumns,
-                            dialect
-					);
-				}
-				//FIXME add collection of components
-			}
-		}
-	}
 
 //    private static void applyDDL( String prefix,
 //                                  EntityBinding binding,
@@ -199,45 +257,6 @@ class TypeSafeActivator {
 //        }
 //    }
 
-	private static boolean applyConstraints(Set<ConstraintDescriptor<?>> constraintDescriptors,
-											Property property,
-											PropertyDescriptor propertyDesc,
-											Set<Class<?>> groups,
-											boolean canApplyNotNull,
-                                            Dialect dialect
-	) {
-		boolean hasNotNull = false;
-		for ( ConstraintDescriptor<?> descriptor : constraintDescriptors ) {
-			if ( groups != null && Collections.disjoint( descriptor.getGroups(), groups ) ) {
-				continue;
-			}
-
-			if ( canApplyNotNull ) {
-				hasNotNull = hasNotNull || applyNotNull( property, descriptor );
-			}
-
-			// apply bean validation specific constraints
-			applyDigits( property, descriptor );
-			applySize( property, descriptor, propertyDesc );
-			applyMin( property, descriptor, dialect );
-			applyMax( property, descriptor, dialect );
-
-			// apply hibernate validator specific constraints - we cannot import any HV specific classes though!
-			// no need to check explicitly for @Range. @Range is a composed constraint using @Min and @Max which
-			// will be taken care later
-			applyLength( property, descriptor, propertyDesc );
-
-			// pass an empty set as composing constraints inherit the main constraint and thus are matching already
-			hasNotNull = hasNotNull || applyConstraints(
-					descriptor.getComposingConstraints(),
-					property, propertyDesc, null,
-					canApplyNotNull,
-                    dialect
-			);
-		}
-		return hasNotNull;
-	}
-
 //    private static boolean applyConstraints( Set<ConstraintDescriptor<?>> constraintDescriptors,
 //                                             AttributeBinding attributeBinding,
 //                                             PropertyDescriptor propertyDesc,
@@ -269,58 +288,6 @@ class TypeSafeActivator {
 //        return hasNotNull;
 //    }
 
-	private static void applyMin(Property property, ConstraintDescriptor<?> descriptor, Dialect dialect) {
-		if ( Min.class.equals( descriptor.getAnnotation().annotationType() ) ) {
-			@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-			ConstraintDescriptor<Min> minConstraint = (ConstraintDescriptor<Min>) descriptor;
-			long min = minConstraint.getAnnotation().value();
-
-			Column col = (Column) property.getColumnIterator().next();
-			String checkConstraint = col.getQuotedName(dialect) + ">=" + min;
-			applySQLCheck( col, checkConstraint );
-		}
-	}
-
-	private static void applyMax(Property property, ConstraintDescriptor<?> descriptor, Dialect dialect) {
-		if ( Max.class.equals( descriptor.getAnnotation().annotationType() ) ) {
-			@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-			ConstraintDescriptor<Max> maxConstraint = (ConstraintDescriptor<Max>) descriptor;
-			long max = maxConstraint.getAnnotation().value();
-			Column col = (Column) property.getColumnIterator().next();
-			String checkConstraint = col.getQuotedName(dialect) + "<=" + max;
-			applySQLCheck( col, checkConstraint );
-		}
-	}
-
-	private static void applySQLCheck(Column col, String checkConstraint) {
-		String existingCheck = col.getCheckConstraint();
-		// need to check whether the new check is already part of the existing check, because applyDDL can be called
-		// multiple times
-		if ( StringHelper.isNotEmpty( existingCheck ) && !existingCheck.contains( checkConstraint ) ) {
-			checkConstraint = col.getCheckConstraint() + " AND " + checkConstraint;
-		}
-		col.setCheckConstraint( checkConstraint );
-	}
-
-	private static boolean applyNotNull(Property property, ConstraintDescriptor<?> descriptor) {
-		boolean hasNotNull = false;
-		if ( NotNull.class.equals( descriptor.getAnnotation().annotationType() ) ) {
-			if ( !( property.getPersistentClass() instanceof SingleTableSubclass ) ) {
-				//single table should not be forced to null
-				if ( !property.isComposite() ) { //composite should not add not-null on all columns
-					@SuppressWarnings( "unchecked" )
-					Iterator<Column> iter = property.getColumnIterator();
-					while ( iter.hasNext() ) {
-						iter.next().setNullable( false );
-						hasNotNull = true;
-					}
-				}
-			}
-			hasNotNull = true;
-		}
-		return hasNotNull;
-	}
-
 //    private static boolean applyNotNull( AttributeBinding attributeBinding,
 //                                         ConstraintDescriptor<?> descriptor ) {
 //        boolean hasNotNull = false;
@@ -341,50 +308,14 @@ class TypeSafeActivator {
 //        return hasNotNull;
 //    }
 
-	private static void applyDigits(Property property, ConstraintDescriptor<?> descriptor) {
-		if ( Digits.class.equals( descriptor.getAnnotation().annotationType() ) ) {
-			@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-			ConstraintDescriptor<Digits> digitsConstraint = (ConstraintDescriptor<Digits>) descriptor;
-			int integerDigits = digitsConstraint.getAnnotation().integer();
-			int fractionalDigits = digitsConstraint.getAnnotation().fraction();
-			Column col = (Column) property.getColumnIterator().next();
-			col.setPrecision( integerDigits + fractionalDigits );
-			col.setScale( fractionalDigits );
-		}
-	}
-
-	private static void applySize(Property property, ConstraintDescriptor<?> descriptor, PropertyDescriptor propertyDescriptor) {
-		if ( Size.class.equals( descriptor.getAnnotation().annotationType() )
-				&& String.class.equals( propertyDescriptor.getElementClass() ) ) {
-			@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-			ConstraintDescriptor<Size> sizeConstraint = (ConstraintDescriptor<Size>) descriptor;
-			int max = sizeConstraint.getAnnotation().max();
-			Column col = (Column) property.getColumnIterator().next();
-			if ( max < Integer.MAX_VALUE ) {
-				col.setLength( max );
-			}
-		}
-	}
-
-	private static void applyLength(Property property, ConstraintDescriptor<?> descriptor, PropertyDescriptor propertyDescriptor) {
-		if ( "org.hibernate.validator.constraints.Length".equals(
-				descriptor.getAnnotation().annotationType().getName()
-		)
-				&& String.class.equals( propertyDescriptor.getElementClass() ) ) {
-			@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-			int max = (Integer) descriptor.getAttributes().get( "max" );
-			Column col = (Column) property.getColumnIterator().next();
-			if ( max < Integer.MAX_VALUE ) {
-				col.setLength( max );
-			}
-		}
-	}
-
 	/**
-	 * @param associatedClass
-	 * @param propertyName
-     * @return the property by path in a recursive way, including IdentifierProperty in the loop if propertyName is
-     * <code>null</code>.  If propertyName is <code>null</code> or empty, the IdentifierProperty is returned
+	 * Locates a mapping property of a persistent class by property name
+	 *
+	 * @param associatedClass the persistent class
+	 * @param propertyName the property name
+	 *
+	 * @return the property by path in a recursive way, including IdentifierProperty in the loop if propertyName is
+	 *         <code>null</code>.  If propertyName is <code>null</code> or empty, the IdentifierProperty is returned
 	 */
 	private static Property findPropertyByName(PersistentClass associatedClass, String propertyName) {
 		Property property = null;
@@ -404,7 +335,7 @@ class TypeSafeActivator {
 				}
 				StringTokenizer st = new StringTokenizer( propertyName, ".", false );
 				while ( st.hasMoreElements() ) {
-					String element = (String) st.nextElement();
+					String element = ( String ) st.nextElement();
 					if ( property == null ) {
 						property = associatedClass.getProperty( element );
 					}
@@ -412,7 +343,7 @@ class TypeSafeActivator {
 						if ( !property.isComposite() ) {
 							return null;
 						}
-						property = ( (Component) property.getValue() ).getProperty( element );
+						property = ( ( Component ) property.getValue() ).getProperty( element );
 					}
 				}
 			}
@@ -425,7 +356,7 @@ class TypeSafeActivator {
 				}
 				StringTokenizer st = new StringTokenizer( propertyName, ".", false );
 				while ( st.hasMoreElements() ) {
-					String element = (String) st.nextElement();
+					String element = ( String ) st.nextElement();
 					if ( property == null ) {
 						property = associatedClass.getIdentifierMapper().getProperty( element );
 					}
@@ -433,7 +364,7 @@ class TypeSafeActivator {
 						if ( !property.isComposite() ) {
 							return null;
 						}
-						property = ( (Component) property.getValue() ).getProperty( element );
+						property = ( ( Component ) property.getValue() ).getProperty( element );
 					}
 				}
 			}
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/DigitsSchemaConstraint.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/DigitsSchemaConstraint.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f2aace438e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/DigitsSchemaConstraint.java
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+/*
+ * Hibernate, Relational Persistence for Idiomatic Java
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2012, Red Hat Inc. or third-party contributors as
+ * indicated by the @author tags or express copyright attribution
+ * statements applied by the authors.  All third-party contributions are
+ * distributed under license by Red Hat Inc.
+ *
+ * This copyrighted material is made available to anyone wishing to use, modify,
+ * copy, or redistribute it subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License, as published by the Free Software Foundation.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
+ * or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * along with this distribution; if not, write to:
+ * Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+ * 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor
+ * Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
+ */
+package org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation.ddl;
+
+import javax.validation.constraints.Digits;
+import javax.validation.metadata.ConstraintDescriptor;
+import javax.validation.metadata.PropertyDescriptor;
+
+import org.hibernate.dialect.Dialect;
+import org.hibernate.mapping.Column;
+import org.hibernate.mapping.Property;
+
+/**
+ * @author Hardy Ferentschik
+ */
+public class DigitsSchemaConstraint implements SchemaConstraint {
+	@Override
+	public boolean applyConstraint(Property property, ConstraintDescriptor<?> descriptor, PropertyDescriptor propertyDescriptor, Dialect dialect) {
+		if ( !Digits.class.equals( descriptor.getAnnotation().annotationType() ) ) {
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+		ConstraintDescriptor<Digits> digitsConstraint = ( ConstraintDescriptor<Digits> ) descriptor;
+		int integerDigits = digitsConstraint.getAnnotation().integer();
+		int fractionalDigits = digitsConstraint.getAnnotation().fraction();
+		Column col = ( Column ) property.getColumnIterator().next();
+		col.setPrecision( integerDigits + fractionalDigits );
+		col.setScale( fractionalDigits );
+		return true;
+	}
+}
+
+
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/LengthSchemaConstraint.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/LengthSchemaConstraint.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7a5e713f31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/LengthSchemaConstraint.java
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+/*
+ * Hibernate, Relational Persistence for Idiomatic Java
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2012, Red Hat Inc. or third-party contributors as
+ * indicated by the @author tags or express copyright attribution
+ * statements applied by the authors.  All third-party contributions are
+ * distributed under license by Red Hat Inc.
+ *
+ * This copyrighted material is made available to anyone wishing to use, modify,
+ * copy, or redistribute it subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License, as published by the Free Software Foundation.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
+ * or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * along with this distribution; if not, write to:
+ * Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+ * 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor
+ * Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
+ */
+package org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation.ddl;
+
+import javax.validation.metadata.ConstraintDescriptor;
+import javax.validation.metadata.PropertyDescriptor;
+
+import org.hibernate.dialect.Dialect;
+import org.hibernate.mapping.Column;
+import org.hibernate.mapping.Property;
+
+/**
+ * @author Hardy Ferentschik
+ */
+public class LengthSchemaConstraint implements SchemaConstraint {
+	// apply hibernate validator specific constraints - we cannot import any HV specific classes though!
+	// no need to check explicitly for @Range. @Range is a composed constraint using @Min and @Max which
+	// will be taken care later
+	private static final String LENGTH_CONSTRAINT = "org.hibernate.validator.constraints.Length";
+
+	@Override
+	public boolean applyConstraint(Property property, ConstraintDescriptor<?> descriptor, PropertyDescriptor propertyDescriptor, Dialect dialect) {
+		if ( !LENGTH_CONSTRAINT.equals( descriptor.getAnnotation().annotationType().getName() )
+				|| !String.class.equals( propertyDescriptor.getElementClass() ) ) {
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+		int max = ( Integer ) descriptor.getAttributes().get( "max" );
+		Column col = ( Column ) property.getColumnIterator().next();
+		if ( max < Integer.MAX_VALUE ) {
+			col.setLength( max );
+		}
+		return true;
+	}
+}
+
+
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/MaxSchemaConstraint.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/MaxSchemaConstraint.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e97dfc8ee6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/MaxSchemaConstraint.java
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/*
+ * Hibernate, Relational Persistence for Idiomatic Java
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2012, Red Hat Inc. or third-party contributors as
+ * indicated by the @author tags or express copyright attribution
+ * statements applied by the authors.  All third-party contributions are
+ * distributed under license by Red Hat Inc.
+ *
+ * This copyrighted material is made available to anyone wishing to use, modify,
+ * copy, or redistribute it subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License, as published by the Free Software Foundation.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
+ * or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * along with this distribution; if not, write to:
+ * Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+ * 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor
+ * Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
+ */
+package org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation.ddl;
+
+import javax.validation.constraints.Max;
+import javax.validation.metadata.ConstraintDescriptor;
+import javax.validation.metadata.PropertyDescriptor;
+
+import org.hibernate.dialect.Dialect;
+import org.hibernate.mapping.Column;
+import org.hibernate.mapping.Property;
+
+/**
+ * @author Hardy Ferentschik
+ */
+public class MaxSchemaConstraint implements SchemaConstraint {
+	@Override
+	public boolean applyConstraint(Property property, ConstraintDescriptor<?> descriptor, PropertyDescriptor propertyDescriptor, Dialect dialect) {
+		if ( !Max.class.equals( descriptor.getAnnotation().annotationType() ) ) {
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+		ConstraintDescriptor<Max> maxConstraint = ( ConstraintDescriptor<Max> ) descriptor;
+		long max = maxConstraint.getAnnotation().value();
+		Column col = ( Column ) property.getColumnIterator().next();
+		String checkConstraint = col.getQuotedName( dialect ) + "<=" + max;
+		SchemaModificationHelper.applySQLCheck( col, checkConstraint );
+		return true;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/MinSchemaConstraint.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/MinSchemaConstraint.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f1e7d07c8b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/MinSchemaConstraint.java
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+/*
+ * Hibernate, Relational Persistence for Idiomatic Java
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2012, Red Hat Inc. or third-party contributors as
+ * indicated by the @author tags or express copyright attribution
+ * statements applied by the authors.  All third-party contributions are
+ * distributed under license by Red Hat Inc.
+ *
+ * This copyrighted material is made available to anyone wishing to use, modify,
+ * copy, or redistribute it subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License, as published by the Free Software Foundation.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
+ * or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * along with this distribution; if not, write to:
+ * Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+ * 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor
+ * Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
+ */
+package org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation.ddl;
+
+import javax.validation.constraints.Min;
+import javax.validation.metadata.ConstraintDescriptor;
+import javax.validation.metadata.PropertyDescriptor;
+
+import org.hibernate.dialect.Dialect;
+import org.hibernate.mapping.Column;
+import org.hibernate.mapping.Property;
+
+/**
+ * @author Hardy Ferentschik
+ */
+public class MinSchemaConstraint implements SchemaConstraint {
+	@Override
+	public boolean applyConstraint(Property property, ConstraintDescriptor<?> descriptor, PropertyDescriptor propertyDescriptor, Dialect dialect) {
+		if ( !Min.class.equals( descriptor.getAnnotation().annotationType() ) ) {
+		  return false;
+		}
+
+		@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+		ConstraintDescriptor<Min> minConstraint = ( ConstraintDescriptor<Min> ) descriptor;
+		long min = minConstraint.getAnnotation().value();
+
+		Column col = ( Column ) property.getColumnIterator().next();
+		String checkConstraint = col.getQuotedName( dialect ) + ">=" + min;
+		SchemaModificationHelper.applySQLCheck( col, checkConstraint );
+		return true;
+
+
+	}
+}
+
+
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/NotNullSchemaConstraint.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/NotNullSchemaConstraint.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..038f896dc7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/NotNullSchemaConstraint.java
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+/*
+ * Hibernate, Relational Persistence for Idiomatic Java
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2012, Red Hat Inc. or third-party contributors as
+ * indicated by the @author tags or express copyright attribution
+ * statements applied by the authors.  All third-party contributions are
+ * distributed under license by Red Hat Inc.
+ *
+ * This copyrighted material is made available to anyone wishing to use, modify,
+ * copy, or redistribute it subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License, as published by the Free Software Foundation.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
+ * or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * along with this distribution; if not, write to:
+ * Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+ * 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor
+ * Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
+ */
+package org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation.ddl;
+
+import java.util.Iterator;
+import javax.validation.constraints.NotNull;
+import javax.validation.metadata.ConstraintDescriptor;
+import javax.validation.metadata.PropertyDescriptor;
+
+import org.hibernate.dialect.Dialect;
+import org.hibernate.mapping.Column;
+import org.hibernate.mapping.Property;
+import org.hibernate.mapping.SingleTableSubclass;
+
+/**
+ * @author Hardy Ferentschik
+ */
+public class NotNullSchemaConstraint implements SchemaConstraint {
+	@Override
+	public boolean applyConstraint(Property property, ConstraintDescriptor<?> descriptor, PropertyDescriptor propertyDescriptor, Dialect dialect) {
+		if ( !NotNull.class.equals( descriptor.getAnnotation().annotationType() ) ) {
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		if ( !( property.getPersistentClass() instanceof SingleTableSubclass ) ) {
+			//single table should not be forced to null
+			if ( !property.isComposite() ) { //composite should not add not-null on all columns
+				@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+				Iterator<Column> iter = property.getColumnIterator();
+				while ( iter.hasNext() ) {
+					iter.next().setNullable( false );
+
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		return true;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/SchemaConstraint.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/SchemaConstraint.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..abf4fde069
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/SchemaConstraint.java
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+/*
+ * Hibernate, Relational Persistence for Idiomatic Java
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2012, Red Hat Inc. or third-party contributors as
+ * indicated by the @author tags or express copyright attribution
+ * statements applied by the authors.  All third-party contributions are
+ * distributed under license by Red Hat Inc.
+ *
+ * This copyrighted material is made available to anyone wishing to use, modify,
+ * copy, or redistribute it subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License, as published by the Free Software Foundation.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
+ * or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * along with this distribution; if not, write to:
+ * Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+ * 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor
+ * Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
+ */
+package org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation.ddl;
+
+import javax.validation.metadata.ConstraintDescriptor;
+import javax.validation.metadata.PropertyDescriptor;
+
+import org.hibernate.dialect.Dialect;
+import org.hibernate.mapping.Property;
+
+/**
+ * Interface for modification of schema related meta information based on Bean Validation constraints
+ *
+ * @author Hardy Ferentschik
+ */
+public interface SchemaConstraint {
+	boolean applyConstraint(Property property, ConstraintDescriptor<?> descriptor, PropertyDescriptor propertyDescriptor, Dialect dialect);
+}
+
+
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/SchemaModificationHelper.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/SchemaModificationHelper.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7d963d80a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/SchemaModificationHelper.java
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+/*
+ * Hibernate, Relational Persistence for Idiomatic Java
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2012, Red Hat Inc. or third-party contributors as
+ * indicated by the @author tags or express copyright attribution
+ * statements applied by the authors.  All third-party contributions are
+ * distributed under license by Red Hat Inc.
+ *
+ * This copyrighted material is made available to anyone wishing to use, modify,
+ * copy, or redistribute it subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License, as published by the Free Software Foundation.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
+ * or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * along with this distribution; if not, write to:
+ * Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+ * 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor
+ * Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
+ */
+package org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation.ddl;
+
+import org.hibernate.internal.util.StringHelper;
+import org.hibernate.mapping.Column;
+
+/**
+ * @author Hardy Ferentschik
+ */
+public class SchemaModificationHelper {
+	private SchemaModificationHelper() {
+	}
+
+	public static void applySQLCheck(Column col, String checkConstraint) {
+		String existingCheck = col.getCheckConstraint();
+		// need to check whether the new check is already part of the existing check, because applyDDL can be called
+		// multiple times
+		if ( StringHelper.isNotEmpty( existingCheck ) && !existingCheck.contains( checkConstraint ) ) {
+			checkConstraint = col.getCheckConstraint() + " AND " + checkConstraint;
+		}
+		col.setCheckConstraint( checkConstraint );
+	}
+}
+
+
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/SizeSchemaConstraint.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/SizeSchemaConstraint.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e4e0dc1529
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/cfg/beanvalidation/ddl/SizeSchemaConstraint.java
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+/*
+ * Hibernate, Relational Persistence for Idiomatic Java
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2012, Red Hat Inc. or third-party contributors as
+ * indicated by the @author tags or express copyright attribution
+ * statements applied by the authors.  All third-party contributions are
+ * distributed under license by Red Hat Inc.
+ *
+ * This copyrighted material is made available to anyone wishing to use, modify,
+ * copy, or redistribute it subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License, as published by the Free Software Foundation.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
+ * or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * along with this distribution; if not, write to:
+ * Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+ * 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor
+ * Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
+ */
+package org.hibernate.cfg.beanvalidation.ddl;
+
+import javax.validation.constraints.Size;
+import javax.validation.metadata.ConstraintDescriptor;
+import javax.validation.metadata.PropertyDescriptor;
+
+import org.hibernate.dialect.Dialect;
+import org.hibernate.mapping.Column;
+import org.hibernate.mapping.Property;
+
+/**
+ * @author Hardy Ferentschik
+ */
+public class SizeSchemaConstraint implements SchemaConstraint {
+	@Override
+	public boolean applyConstraint(Property property, ConstraintDescriptor<?> descriptor, PropertyDescriptor propertyDescriptor, Dialect dialect) {
+		if ( !Size.class.equals( descriptor.getAnnotation().annotationType() )
+				|| !String.class.equals( propertyDescriptor.getElementClass() ) ) {
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+		ConstraintDescriptor<Size> sizeConstraint = ( ConstraintDescriptor<Size> ) descriptor;
+		int max = sizeConstraint.getAnnotation().max();
+		Column col = ( Column ) property.getColumnIterator().next();
+		if ( max < Integer.MAX_VALUE ) {
+			col.setLength( max );
+		}
+		return true;
+	}
+}
+
+