diff --git a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/CQuery.java b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/CQuery.java
index 861ccc337..9f30e9a29 100644
--- a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/CQuery.java
+++ b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/CQuery.java
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ public class CQuery<T> implements DbReadContext, CancelableQuery, SpiProfileTran
    * Tree that knows how to build the master and detail beans from the
    * resultSet.
    */
-  private final SqlTreeNode rootNode;
+  private final SqlTreeRoot rootNode;
 
   /**
    * For master detail query.
@@ -444,13 +444,13 @@ public class CQuery<T> implements DbReadContext, CancelableQuery, SpiProfileTran
     if (manyProperty == null) {
       // only single resultSet row required to build object so we are done
       // read a single resultSet row into single bean
-      nextBean = rootNode.load(this, null, null);
+      nextBean = rootNode.load(this);
       return true;
     }
 
     if (nextBean == null) {
       // very first read
-      nextBean = rootNode.load(this, null, null);
+      nextBean = rootNode.load(this);
     } else {
       // nextBean set to previously read currentBean
       nextBean = currentBean;
@@ -478,7 +478,7 @@ public class CQuery<T> implements DbReadContext, CancelableQuery, SpiProfileTran
    * is different to the nextBean (false if we need to read more rows).
    */
   private boolean checkForDifferentBean() throws SQLException {
-    currentBean = rootNode.load(this, null, null);
+    currentBean = rootNode.load(this);
     return currentBean != nextBean;
   }
 
diff --git a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTree.java b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTree.java
index c537ace29..1befa650b 100644
--- a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTree.java
+++ b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTree.java
@@ -122,8 +122,8 @@ class SqlTree {
     return inheritanceWhereSql;
   }
 
-  SqlTreeNode getRootNode() {
-    return rootNode;
+  SqlTreeRoot getRootNode() {
+    return (SqlTreeRoot)rootNode;
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNode.java b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNode.java
index b341802d1..39844cb59 100644
--- a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNode.java
+++ b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNode.java
@@ -73,11 +73,6 @@ interface SqlTreeNode {
    */
   EntityBean load(DbReadContext ctx, EntityBean localBean, EntityBean contextBean) throws SQLException;
 
-  /**
-   * Load a version of a @History bean with effective dates.
-   */
-  <T> Version<T> loadVersion(DbReadContext ctx) throws SQLException;
-
   /**
    * Return true if the query has a many join.
    */
diff --git a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeBean.java b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeBean.java
index 010793506..51ed19d32 100644
--- a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeBean.java
+++ b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeBean.java
@@ -192,20 +192,6 @@ class SqlTreeNodeBean implements SqlTreeNode {
     }
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Read the version bean.
-   */
-  @Override
-  @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-  public <T> Version<T> loadVersion(DbReadContext ctx) throws SQLException {
-    // read the sys period lower and upper bounds
-    // these are always the first 2 columns in the resultSet
-    Timestamp start = ctx.getDataReader().getTimestamp();
-    Timestamp end = ctx.getDataReader().getTimestamp();
-    T bean = (T) load(ctx, null, null);
-    return new Version<>(bean, start, end);
-  }
-
   /**
    * Load that takes into account inheritance.
    */
diff --git a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeExtraJoin.java b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeExtraJoin.java
index fbab8e6b1..074457a30 100644
--- a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeExtraJoin.java
+++ b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeExtraJoin.java
@@ -178,14 +178,6 @@ class SqlTreeNodeExtraJoin implements SqlTreeNode {
     return null;
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Does nothing.
-   */
-  @Override
-  public <T> Version<T> loadVersion(DbReadContext ctx) {
-    return null;
-  }
-
   @Override
   public boolean hasMany() {
     return manyJoin;
diff --git a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeFormulaWhereJoin.java b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeFormulaWhereJoin.java
index f5e47eac5..20a3037da 100644
--- a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeFormulaWhereJoin.java
+++ b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeFormulaWhereJoin.java
@@ -99,12 +99,6 @@ class SqlTreeNodeFormulaWhereJoin implements SqlTreeNode {
     return null;
   }
 
-  @Override
-  public <T> Version<T> loadVersion(DbReadContext ctx) {
-    // nothing to do here
-    return null;
-  }
-
   @Override
   public boolean hasMany() {
     return true;
diff --git a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeManyWhereJoin.java b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeManyWhereJoin.java
index f3d1999ca..c537c4bf7 100644
--- a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeManyWhereJoin.java
+++ b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeManyWhereJoin.java
@@ -144,12 +144,6 @@ class SqlTreeNodeManyWhereJoin implements SqlTreeNode {
     return null;
   }
 
-  @Override
-  public <T> Version<T> loadVersion(DbReadContext ctx) {
-    // nothing to do here
-    return null;
-  }
-
   @Override
   public boolean hasMany() {
     return true;
diff --git a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeRoot.java b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeRoot.java
index 3a7fffd98..e52477cf1 100644
--- a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeRoot.java
+++ b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeNodeRoot.java
@@ -1,16 +1,21 @@
 package io.ebeaninternal.server.query;
 
+import io.ebean.Version;
+import io.ebean.bean.EntityBean;
 import io.ebeaninternal.api.SpiQuery;
+import io.ebeaninternal.server.deploy.DbReadContext;
 import io.ebeaninternal.server.deploy.DbSqlContext;
 import io.ebeaninternal.server.deploy.TableJoin;
 
+import java.sql.SQLException;
+import java.sql.Timestamp;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Set;
 
 /**
  * Represents the root node of the Sql Tree.
  */
-final class SqlTreeNodeRoot extends SqlTreeNodeBean {
+final class SqlTreeNodeRoot extends SqlTreeNodeBean implements SqlTreeRoot {
 
   private final TableJoin includeJoin;
 
@@ -35,6 +40,25 @@ final class SqlTreeNodeRoot extends SqlTreeNodeBean {
     return true;
   }
 
+  @Override
+  public EntityBean load(DbReadContext ctx) throws SQLException {
+    return load(ctx, null, null);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Read the version bean.
+   */
+  @Override
+  @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+  public <T> Version<T> loadVersion(DbReadContext ctx) throws SQLException {
+    // read the sys period lower and upper bounds
+    // these are always the first 2 columns in the resultSet
+    Timestamp start = ctx.getDataReader().getTimestamp();
+    Timestamp end = ctx.getDataReader().getTimestamp();
+    T bean = (T) load(ctx, null, null);
+    return new Version<>(bean, start, end);
+  }
+
   @Override
   public boolean isSqlDistinct() {
     return sqlDistinct;
diff --git a/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeRoot.java b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeRoot.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..64938bc22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ebean-core/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/query/SqlTreeRoot.java
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+package io.ebeaninternal.server.query;
+
+import io.ebean.Version;
+import io.ebean.bean.EntityBean;
+import io.ebean.core.type.ScalarDataReader;
+import io.ebeaninternal.server.deploy.DbReadContext;
+
+import java.sql.SQLException;
+
+/**
+ * The root level node of the SqlTree.
+ */
+interface SqlTreeRoot {
+
+  /**
+   * Load the bean from the DbReadContext.
+   * <p>
+   * At a high level this actually controls the reading of the data from the
+   * jdbc resultSet and putting it into the bean etc.
+   * </p>
+   */
+  EntityBean load(DbReadContext ctx) throws SQLException;
+
+  /**
+   * Load a version of a @History bean with effective dates.
+   */
+  <T> Version<T> loadVersion(DbReadContext ctx) throws SQLException;
+
+  /**
+   * Return a Scalar single attribute reader based on the first property.
+   */
+  ScalarDataReader<?> getSingleAttributeReader();
+
+}