Method for the rolling and/or thermal treatment of a metallic product, particularly a strip or sheet, wherein the product is subjected at a first location to a rolling and/or thermal treatment operation which is controlled and/or regulated by a controlling and/or regulating device, wherein the product at a second location downstream of the first location is subjected to a measurement by means of a measuring device, wherein the product at a third location downstream of the second location is subjected to a further processing operation and wherein the product at a fourth location downstream of the third location is present in a predetermined quality, wherein the quality is characterised by a qualitative material characteristic of the product in the form of the phase state and/or the yield point and/or the tensile strength and/or the breaking elongation and/or the grain size of the material of the product, characterised in that the method comprises the steps: a) measuring the value of a material characteristic of the product at the second location, wherein the material characteristic reproduces the microstructure of the material of the product or relates to parameter correlated with the microstructure of the material of the product, wherein the measuring is or comprises irradiation of the product by X-ray radiation and determination of the refraction of the X-ray radiation (X-ray diffraction) at the crystal structure of the material of the product, b) conducting the value, which is measured at the second location, of the material characteristic to the controlling and/or regulating device, comparing the measured value with a value stored in the controlling and/or regulating device and adapting at least one parameter of the rolling and/or thermal treatment operation insofar as the measured value of the material characteristic differs from the stored value beyond a permissible tolerance, c) measuring at least one value of the qualitative material characteristic of the product at the fourth location, wherein the qualitative material characteristic reproduces a quality criterion of the product or relates to a parameter correlated with a quality criterion of the product; d) comparing the measured value of the qualitative material characteristic with a stored value for the qualitative material characteristic and initiating at least one measure for influencing the qualitative material characteristic insofar as the measured value of the qualitative material characteristic differs from the stored value beyond a permissible tolerance. a) measuring the value of a material characteristic of the product at the second location, wherein the material characteristic reproduces the microstructure of the material of the product or relates to parameter correlated with the microstructure of the material of the product, wherein the measuring is or comprises irradiation of the product by X-ray radiation and determination of the refraction of the X-ray radiation (X-ray diffraction) at the crystal structure of the material of the product, b) conducting the value, which is measured at the second location, of the material characteristic to the controlling and/or regulating device, comparing the measured value with a value stored in the controlling and/or regulating device and adapting at least one parameter of the rolling and/or thermal treatment operation insofar as the measured value of the material characteristic differs from the stored value beyond a permissible tolerance, c) measuring at least one value of the qualitative material characteristic of the product at the fourth location, wherein the qualitative material characteristic reproduces a quality criterion of the product or relates to a parameter correlated with a quality criterion of the product; d) comparing the measured value of the qualitative material characteristic with a stored value for the qualitative material characteristic and initiating at least one measure for influencing the qualitative material characteristic insofar as the measured value of the qualitative material characteristic differs from the stored value beyond a permissible tolerance.