For weak disorder, the distributions of interatomic distances sampled by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) can be parametrized in terms of their leading cumulants. For a sufficiently well isolated first coordination shell, accurate relative values of the cumulants with respect to a reference sample can be obtained by separate analysis of phases and amplitudes (the ratio method). The basics of both the cumulant approach and the ratio method are presented and their strengths and limitations are discussed.