working with two tables under one function

No, the array isn't empty, but the $data variable is not being defined if there is no query result.

Solution (in your model):

PHP Code:

if ($query->num_rows() > 0 ) {
  return $query->result_array();  //this is way shorter than your current foreach loop
}
else {
  return FALSE;
} 


Next, check if the result is FALSE or not (in your controller) before you load the view to display the result.