Described herein is a method for analyzing an object using a particle beam apparatus, for example an electron beam apparatus and/or an ion beam apparatus, or using an x-ray beam device and a particle beam apparatus or an x-ray beam device, by means of which the method is carried out. In the method, information about the object is loaded from a data memory into a control device. Furthermore, a group of detection units from the multiplicity of detection units is identified using the information loaded into the control device. A first detector segment is formed from the group of detection units using the control device. Interaction particles and/or interaction radiation, which is/are detected, is/are generated by guiding a particle beam onto the object and scanning the object using the particle beam, where a detector segment signal is read from the detector segment.