diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 2ace266bf9..e3ad2b9562 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 	<groupId>org.springframework.data</groupId>
 	<artifactId>spring-data-commons</artifactId>
-	<version>4.2.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
+	<version>4.2.0-GH-3515-SNAPSHOT</version>
 
 	<name>Spring Data Core</name>
 	<description>Core Spring concepts underpinning every Spring Data module.</description>
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/context/MappingContext.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/context/MappingContext.java
index 1fe20a5677..eedf1dbb6f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/context/MappingContext.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/context/MappingContext.java
@@ -134,14 +134,13 @@ default E getRequiredPersistentEntity(TypeInformation<?> type) throws MappingExc
 	E getPersistentEntity(P persistentProperty);
 
 	/**
-	 * Returns the {@link PersistentEntity} mapped by the given {@link PersistentProperty}.
+	 * Returns the {@link PersistentEntity} mapped by the given {@link PersistentProperty}. Will throw
+	 * {@link MappingException} for types that are considered simple ones.
 	 *
 	 * @param persistentProperty must not be {@literal null}.
-	 * @return the {@link PersistentEntity} mapped by the given {@link PersistentProperty} or {@literal null} if no
-	 *         {@link PersistentEntity} exists for it or the {@link PersistentProperty} does not refer to an entity (the
-	 *         type of the property is considered simple see
-	 *         {@link org.springframework.data.mapping.model.SimpleTypeHolder#isSimpleType(Class)}).
+	 * @return the {@link PersistentEntity} mapped by the given {@link PersistentProperty}.
 	 * @throws MappingException when no {@link PersistentEntity} can be found for given {@link PersistentProperty}.
+	 * @see #getPersistentEntity(PersistentProperty)
 	 */
 	default E getRequiredPersistentEntity(P persistentProperty) throws MappingException {
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/context/PersistentPropertyPathFactory.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/context/PersistentPropertyPathFactory.java
index b377ad524b..a639782e05 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/context/PersistentPropertyPathFactory.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/context/PersistentPropertyPathFactory.java
@@ -15,8 +15,16 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.data.mapping.context;
 
-import java.util.*;
-import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.Comparator;
+import java.util.HashSet;
+import java.util.Iterator;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Objects;
+import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.function.Function;
 import java.util.function.Predicate;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
@@ -49,8 +57,6 @@
  */
 class PersistentPropertyPathFactory<E extends PersistentEntity<?, P>, P extends PersistentProperty<P>> {
 
-	private static final Predicate<PersistentProperty<? extends PersistentProperty<?>>> IS_ENTITY = PersistentProperty::isEntity;
-
 	private final ConcurrentLruCache<TypeAndPath, PathResolution> propertyPaths = new ConcurrentLruCache<>(512, it -> createPersistentPropertyPath(it.path(), it.type()));
 	private final MappingContext<E, P> context;
 
@@ -228,7 +234,18 @@ private <T> Collection<PersistentPropertyPath<P>> from(TypeInformation<T> type,
 			return Collections.emptyList();
 		}
 
-		return from(context.getRequiredPersistentEntity(actualType), filter, traversalGuard, basePath);
+		E entity;
+		if (type.isCollectionLike() || type.isMap()) {
+			entity = context.getPersistentEntity(actualType);
+		} else {
+			entity = context.getRequiredPersistentEntity(actualType);
+		}
+
+		if (entity == null) {
+			return Collections.emptyList();
+		}
+
+		return from(entity, filter, traversalGuard, basePath);
 	}
 
 	private Collection<PersistentPropertyPath<P>> from(E entity, Predicate<? super P> filter, Predicate<P> traversalGuard,
@@ -251,9 +268,11 @@ private Collection<PersistentPropertyPath<P>> from(E entity, Predicate<? super P
 				properties.add(currentPath);
 			}
 
-			if (traversalGuard.and(IS_ENTITY).test(persistentProperty)) {
-				var persistentEntity = context.getRequiredPersistentEntity(persistentProperty);
-				properties.addAll(from(persistentEntity, filter, traversalGuard, currentPath));
+			if (traversalGuard.test(persistentProperty)) {
+				E persistentEntity = context.getPersistentEntity(persistentProperty);
+				if (persistentEntity != null) {
+					properties.addAll(from(persistentEntity, filter, traversalGuard, currentPath));
+				}
 			}
 		};
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/auditing/MappingAuditableBeanWrapperFactoryUnitTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/auditing/MappingAuditableBeanWrapperFactoryUnitTests.java
index bf3b6fdeb5..1dd7edf358 100755
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/auditing/MappingAuditableBeanWrapperFactoryUnitTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/auditing/MappingAuditableBeanWrapperFactoryUnitTests.java
@@ -84,6 +84,18 @@ void cacheWarmedWithKnownPersistentEntities() {
 		assertThat(metadataCache).hasSize(4);
 	}
 
+	@Test // GH-3515
+	void initializesFactoryForEntityWithNestedMapProperty() {
+
+		var context = new SampleMappingContext();
+		context.getPersistentEntity(WithNestedMap.class);
+		context.findPersistentPropertyPaths(WithNestedMap.class, it -> true);
+
+		var factory = new MappingAuditableBeanWrapperFactory(PersistentEntities.of(context));
+
+		assertThat(factory.getBeanWrapperFor(new WithNestedMap())).isNotNull();
+	}
+
 	@Test // DATACMNS-365
 	void discoversAuditingPropertyOnField() {
 
@@ -406,4 +418,12 @@ static class WithEmbedded {
 		Collection<Embedded> embeddeds;
 		Map<String, Embedded> embeddedMap;
 	}
+
+	static class Cell {
+		Object value;
+	}
+
+	static class WithNestedMap {
+		Map<String, Map<String, Cell>> values;
+	}
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/context/PersistentPropertyPathFactoryUnitTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/context/PersistentPropertyPathFactoryUnitTests.java
index eb56b73efe..24dc829389 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/context/PersistentPropertyPathFactoryUnitTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/context/PersistentPropertyPathFactoryUnitTests.java
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
  *
  * @author Oliver Gierke
  * @author Christoph Strobl
+ * @author Mark Paluch
  * @soundtrack Cypress Hill - Illusions (Q-Tip Remix, Unreleased & Revamped)
  */
 class PersistentPropertyPathFactoryUnitTests {
@@ -176,6 +177,22 @@ void returnsShortestPathFirst() {
 				.hasValueSatisfying(it -> assertThat(it.toDotPath()).isEqualTo("third.lastname"));
 	}
 
+	@Test // GH-3515
+	void returnsPathsForMapWithEntityKeyAndSimpleValueType() {
+
+		var paths = factory.from(WithEntityKeyMap.class, it -> true);
+
+		assertThat(paths).extracting(PersistentPropertyPath::toDotPath).containsExactly("map");
+	}
+
+	@Test // GH-3515
+	void returnsPathsForRawTypeComplexBound() {
+
+		var paths = factory.from(BoundedGeneric.class, it -> true);
+
+		assertThat(paths).extracting(PersistentPropertyPath::toDotPath).containsExactly("map");
+	}
+
 	static class PersonSample {
 		List<Person> persons;
 	}
@@ -222,4 +239,13 @@ static class Second {
 	static class Third {
 		String lastname;
 	}
+
+	static class WithEntityKeyMap {
+		Map<Second, Double> map;
+	}
+
+	static class BoundedGeneric<T extends Second> {
+		Map<T, Double> map;
+	}
+
 }