Tree-ring studies are used today as a method in different research fields. According to the objectives and the underlying hypotheses, each study needs adequate data acquisition and data management and processing within a large choice of available modern techniques. This paper shows, on a conceptual and methodical level, the prerequisites for treering studies, discusses implications for measurements and data processing for most applications encountered and summarises data analysis tools. For educational purpose additional practical hints and some typical literature references of North American and European research are given.