The question was do heaps are very bad and always force a table scan? Let us learn about RID Lookup, Heaps and table scan.
Why a Filtered Index Is Ignored by Parameterized Queries
Explain why a filtered index is ignored with parameters, inspect plan warnings, and compare literal filters, RECOMPILE, and coverage fixes.
Query Plan Join: Why a Query With No Join Shows One
A query plan join can appear even when the query has no join, because SQL Server joins a nonclustered index to the table itself. This post reads the plan of a one table query, removes the join with a covering index, and finds the row count where SQL Server stops using lookups.
How to Disable Batch Mode in SQL Server? – Interview Question of the Week #252
My immediate reaction was why would you disable batch mode in SQL Server when it is really is an awesome feature for performance
Create an Index Online in SQL Server: What ONLINE = ON Locks
To create an index online in SQL Server, add WITH (ONLINE = ON) to CREATE INDEX, and writers keep working while the index builds. This post compares a plain build with an online build on a three million row table, measures what each one blocks and what the online build costs, and shows where it still waits.
Missing Index Suggestions: Three Checks Before You Create One
Review missing index suggestions against existing indexes, key order, and INCLUDE size before adding extra write overhead.
RID Lookups on Heaps vs Key Lookups on Clustered Tables
Compare RID lookups on heaps with clustered key lookups, inspect forwarded records, and test covering indexes with actual plans and reads.