getting started

[eluser]Colin Williams[/eluser]
Ha! That romance you are seeking is what some people call ORM. An ORM (object-relational mapping) library uses database table naming conventions and configuration to automatically structure objects and their relatives (typically at the expense of extraneous database queries). Search these boards for "DataMapper" or "IgnitedRecord," a few decent written-for-CI ORM libraries.

ORM is typically something you will do in all your applications; you just need to decide whether to buy into the conventions of an ORM library or roll it your own way.