Relational typology and multi-level comparison serve the empirical reconstruction of social heterogeneity. With these methods, the author presents new approaches to the documentary method: relational typology captures connections between action orientations that lie in different areas of experience. Based on a consistently comparative analysis, relations of cross-case orientations are typified here. In contrast, the multi-level comparison examines the relationship between different social levels, such as biography, organization, and functional systems. For central problems of this complex approach, the volume offers solutions by linking methodological considerations with practical research examples.