I wouldn\'t think there is a difference when it comes to active record and finding data.
Here are my models
class User < ActiveRecord::Base
has_
The problem is not the relationship.
u = User.find(1)
returns one User
#return a Set of users. In your case its only one user.
u = User.where("username = ?", "percent20")
The result type is ActiveRecord::Relation --> [User, User, User]
use e.g. first to get the first User
#returns the first user
u = User.where("username = ?", "percent20").first
u.class.name => "User"