Electron microscopy based methods for microtexture analysis on surfaces or thin foils are summarized. These are compared to the novel 3-Dimensional X-ray Diffraction (3DXRD) method based on the use of high energy X-rays from synchrotron sources. With 3DXRD the structure of the embedded grains can be characterized non-destructively within millimeter to centimeter size specimens. Algorithms are presented that determines the position, volume, orientation, stress, and phase for hundreds of grains simultaneously. For recrystallised materials three-dimensional maps of the grain boundaries are generated with a resolution of 5 mum. Moreover, for the first time the dynamics of the microstructure can be studied on the micron length scale within the bulk of the material. As examples of use studies of the dynamics of individual grains during recrystallization, deformation and phase transformations are reviewed.