Is session.createFilter(..) only for an entity's Collections rather than entities themselves? For example a could one not implement an Entity's Active/Inactive flag as a column on some entities where this logic applies but enable the filter against the whole session programatically to include/exclude inactive entities at runtime on a Use Case basis, rather than having to add Criteria/Criterion to specific finders?

It helps to read the doco's first, (apologies)

Hibernate3 adds the ability to pre-define filter criteria and attach those filters at both a class and a collection level. A filter criteria is the ability to define a restriction clause very similiar to the existing "where" attribute available on the class and various collection elements. Except these filter conditions can be parameterized.

However, the filter(s) seems to be ignored when using FindById. Why?
Shame also that the filterDef from an annotations perspective appears to be at @Entity level, rather than @EmbeddableSuperclass.