diff --git a/docs/pages/release_notes.md b/docs/pages/release_notes.md
index 6af90a277d..e77c2d16bd 100644
--- a/docs/pages/release_notes.md
+++ b/docs/pages/release_notes.md
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ Both are bugfixing releases.
 
 ### API Changes
 
+* The static method `PMDParameters.transformParametersIntoConfiguration(PMDParameters)` is now deprecated,
+  for removal in 7.0.0. The new instance method `PMDParameters.toConfiguration()` replaces it.
+
 ### External Contributions
 
 * [#941](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/pull/941): \[java] Use char notation to represent a character to improve performance - [reudismam](https://github.com/reudismam)
diff --git a/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/PMD.java b/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/PMD.java
index 30b55985b3..0532864b5d 100644
--- a/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/PMD.java
+++ b/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/PMD.java
@@ -203,6 +203,13 @@ public class PMD {
             return 0;
         }
 
+        // Log warning only once, if not explicitly disabled
+        if (!configuration.isIgnoreIncrementalAnalysis() && LOG.isLoggable(Level.WARNING)) {
+            final String version = PMDVersion.isUnknown() || PMDVersion.isSnapshot() ? "latest" : "pmd-" + PMDVersion.VERSION;
+            LOG.warning("This analysis could be faster, please consider using Incremental Analysis: "
+                                + "https://pmd.github.io/" + version + "/pmd_userdocs_getting_started.html#incremental-analysis");
+        }
+
         Set<Language> languages = getApplicableLanguages(configuration, ruleSets);
         List<DataSource> files = getApplicableFiles(configuration, languages);
 
diff --git a/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/PMDConfiguration.java b/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/PMDConfiguration.java
index e3f5b786c9..ed2fb35b6f 100644
--- a/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/PMDConfiguration.java
+++ b/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/PMDConfiguration.java
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Properties;
-import java.util.logging.Level;
 import java.util.logging.Logger;
 
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.cache.AnalysisCache;
@@ -110,7 +109,7 @@ public class PMDConfiguration extends AbstractConfiguration {
 
     private boolean stressTest;
     private boolean benchmark;
-    private AnalysisCache analysisCache;
+    private AnalysisCache analysisCache = new NoopAnalysisCache();
     private boolean ignoreIncrementalAnalysis;
 
     /**
@@ -558,8 +557,7 @@ public class PMDConfiguration extends AbstractConfiguration {
     /**
      * Sets the rule set factory compatibility feature enabled/disabled.
      *
-     * @param ruleSetFactoryCompatibilityEnabled
-     *            <code>true</code> if the feature should be enabled
+     * @param ruleSetFactoryCompatibilityEnabled {@code true} if the feature should be enabled
      *
      * @see RuleSetFactoryCompatibility
      */
@@ -576,7 +574,7 @@ public class PMDConfiguration extends AbstractConfiguration {
         // Make sure we are not null
         if (analysisCache == null || isIgnoreIncrementalAnalysis() && isAnalysisCacheFunctional()) {
             // sets a noop cache
-            setAnalysisCache(null);
+            setAnalysisCache(new NoopAnalysisCache());
         }
 
         return analysisCache;
@@ -587,22 +585,17 @@ public class PMDConfiguration extends AbstractConfiguration {
      * value of {@code null} will cause a Noop AnalysisCache to be used.
      * If incremental analysis was explicitly disabled ({@link #isIgnoreIncrementalAnalysis()}),
      * then this method is a noop.
-     * 
+     *
      * @param cache The analysis cache to be used.
      */
     public void setAnalysisCache(final AnalysisCache cache) {
         if (cache == null && isAnalysisCacheFunctional()) {
             analysisCache = new NoopAnalysisCache();
-
-            // Log warning only once, if not explicitly disabled
-            if (!isIgnoreIncrementalAnalysis() && LOG.isLoggable(Level.WARNING)) {
-                final String version = PMDVersion.isUnknown() || PMDVersion.isSnapshot() ? "latest" : "pmd-" + PMDVersion.VERSION;
-                LOG.warning("This analysis could be faster, please consider using Incremental Analysis: "
-                                    + "https://pmd.github.io/" + version + "/pmd_userdocs_getting_started.html#incremental-analysis");
-            }
-        } else if (!isIgnoreIncrementalAnalysis()) { // ignore new value if incr. analysis is disabled
+        } else {
             analysisCache = cache;
         }
+        // the doc says it's a noop if incremental analysis was disabled,
+        // but it's actually the getter that enforces that
     }
 
     /**
@@ -612,11 +605,9 @@ public class PMDConfiguration extends AbstractConfiguration {
      * @param cacheLocation The location of the analysis cache to be used.
      */
     public void setAnalysisCacheLocation(final String cacheLocation) {
-        if (cacheLocation == null) {
-            setAnalysisCache(null);
-        } else {
-            setAnalysisCache(new FileAnalysisCache(new File(cacheLocation)));
-        }
+        setAnalysisCache(cacheLocation == null
+                                 ? new NoopAnalysisCache()
+                                 : new FileAnalysisCache(new File(cacheLocation)));
     }
 
     /** Returns true if the current analysis cache isn't noop. */
diff --git a/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/cli/PMDParameters.java b/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/cli/PMDParameters.java
index cae4b1b908..03e80c5ce8 100644
--- a/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/cli/PMDParameters.java
+++ b/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/cli/PMDParameters.java
@@ -152,8 +152,43 @@ public class PMDParameters {
      * @throws IllegalArgumentException if the parameters are inconsistent or incomplete
      */
     public PMDConfiguration toConfiguration() {
-        // the static method could probably be deprecated in favour of this one
-        return transformParametersIntoConfiguration(this);
+        if (null == this.getSourceDir() && null == this.getUri() && null == this.getFileListPath()) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException(
+                    "Please provide a parameter for source root directory (-dir or -d), database URI (-uri or -u), or file list path (-filelist).");
+        }
+        PMDConfiguration configuration = new PMDConfiguration();
+        configuration.setInputPaths(this.getSourceDir());
+        configuration.setInputFilePath(this.getFileListPath());
+        configuration.setInputUri(this.getUri());
+        configuration.setReportFormat(this.getFormat());
+        configuration.setBenchmark(this.isBenchmark());
+        configuration.setDebug(this.isDebug());
+        configuration.setMinimumPriority(this.getMinimumPriority());
+        configuration.setReportFile(this.getReportfile());
+        configuration.setReportProperties(this.getProperties());
+        configuration.setReportShortNames(this.isShortnames());
+        configuration.setRuleSets(this.getRulesets());
+        configuration.setRuleSetFactoryCompatibilityEnabled(!this.noRuleSetCompatibility);
+        configuration.setShowSuppressedViolations(this.isShowsuppressed());
+        configuration.setSourceEncoding(this.getEncoding());
+        configuration.setStressTest(this.isStress());
+        configuration.setSuppressMarker(this.getSuppressmarker());
+        configuration.setThreads(this.getThreads());
+        configuration.setFailOnViolation(this.isFailOnViolation());
+        configuration.setAnalysisCacheLocation(this.cacheLocation);
+        configuration.setIgnoreIncrementalAnalysis(this.isIgnoreIncrementalAnalysis());
+
+        LanguageVersion languageVersion = LanguageRegistry
+                .findLanguageVersionByTerseName(this.getLanguage() + ' ' + this.getVersion());
+        if (languageVersion != null) {
+            configuration.getLanguageVersionDiscoverer().setDefaultLanguageVersion(languageVersion);
+        }
+        try {
+            configuration.prependClasspath(this.getAuxclasspath());
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid auxiliary classpath: " + e.getMessage(), e);
+        }
+        return configuration;
     }
 
 
@@ -162,44 +197,13 @@ public class PMDParameters {
     }
 
 
+    /**
+     * {@link #toConfiguration()}.
+     * @deprecated To be removed in 7.0.0. Use the instance method {@link #toConfiguration()}.
+     */
+    @Deprecated
     public static PMDConfiguration transformParametersIntoConfiguration(PMDParameters params) {
-        if (null == params.getSourceDir() && null == params.getUri() && null == params.getFileListPath()) {
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException(
-                    "Please provide a parameter for source root directory (-dir or -d), database URI (-uri or -u), or file list path (-filelist).");
-        }
-        PMDConfiguration configuration = new PMDConfiguration();
-        configuration.setInputPaths(params.getSourceDir());
-        configuration.setInputFilePath(params.getFileListPath());
-        configuration.setInputUri(params.getUri());
-        configuration.setReportFormat(params.getFormat());
-        configuration.setBenchmark(params.isBenchmark());
-        configuration.setDebug(params.isDebug());
-        configuration.setMinimumPriority(params.getMinimumPriority());
-        configuration.setReportFile(params.getReportfile());
-        configuration.setReportProperties(params.getProperties());
-        configuration.setReportShortNames(params.isShortnames());
-        configuration.setRuleSets(params.getRulesets());
-        configuration.setRuleSetFactoryCompatibilityEnabled(!params.noRuleSetCompatibility);
-        configuration.setShowSuppressedViolations(params.isShowsuppressed());
-        configuration.setSourceEncoding(params.getEncoding());
-        configuration.setStressTest(params.isStress());
-        configuration.setSuppressMarker(params.getSuppressmarker());
-        configuration.setThreads(params.getThreads());
-        configuration.setFailOnViolation(params.isFailOnViolation());
-        configuration.setAnalysisCacheLocation(params.cacheLocation);
-        configuration.setIgnoreIncrementalAnalysis(params.isIgnoreIncrementalAnalysis());
-
-        LanguageVersion languageVersion = LanguageRegistry
-                .findLanguageVersionByTerseName(params.getLanguage() + ' ' + params.getVersion());
-        if (languageVersion != null) {
-            configuration.getLanguageVersionDiscoverer().setDefaultLanguageVersion(languageVersion);
-        }
-        try {
-            configuration.prependClasspath(params.getAuxclasspath());
-        } catch (IOException e) {
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid auxiliary classpath: " + e.getMessage(), e);
-        }
-        return configuration;
+        return params.toConfiguration();
     }
 
     public boolean isDebug() {