Database lookup tables and models

[eluser]RonPerrella[/eluser]
I use a single model to look up both static lists and lists stored in the DB. That way, my app is oblivious of the source and I can still optimize for speed. Of course, there is DB caching as part of CI but this was simple enough.

I pass in the type of data I want back in a list, and I make sure that array is suitable for use in form_dropdown().