PMS sync explained

Sync is how Rebrief pulls your patients and their notes out of your practice-management system (PMS) so you can work with them inside Rebrief. This article explains what gets copied, how to read the sync status in the sidebar, and what to do when Rebrief can't find your PMS or finds more than one.

What sync does

When you run a sync, Rebrief reads from whichever PMS is open on your computer and brings two things into your Rebrief workspace:

• Patients — names, dates of birth, and contact details.
• Notes — the patient notes attached to those records.

Sync runs in that order: patients first, then notes. It only ever copies data from your PMS into Rebrief. It does not change or overwrite anything in your PMS.

Sync is also safe to run as often as you like. Re-running a sync updates records that already exist instead of creating duplicates.

Note: The sync status row appears only when you're using the Rebrief desktop app (the Rebrief Bridge), which is what connects to your installed PMS. In a regular web browser there's nothing to connect to, so the row is hidden.

Reading the sync status

Look for the PMS sync row in the left sidebar. It shows one of three states, each with a colored dot:

• PMS Synced (green dot) — Rebrief is connected to your PMS and ready. This is the normal resting state. Hover the row to see patient and note counts from your last successful sync.
• PMS Syncing (green dot, row gently shimmering) — a sync is running right now.
• PMS Sync Error (yellow dot) — Rebrief needs your attention before it can sync.

A yellow "needs attention" state covers three situations: a sync that failed, no PMS detected, or more than one PMS open at once. In each case the row shows a short hint explaining what's wrong, and you can hover over the row for fuller detail.

Triggering a sync

The sidebar row has a button next to the status. Its label changes with the situation:

• Sync — start a sync. Use this in the normal connected state.
• … — a sync is already running. The button is disabled until it finishes.
• Try Again — the last sync failed; click to retry.

Rebrief also re-checks for an open PMS on its own — when you switch back to the Rebrief window, and periodically while the window is in view — so the status usually keeps itself current without any action from you.

"No PMS detected"

This means Rebrief looked but couldn't find a supported PMS running on your computer.

1. Open your PMS (for example Open Dental or Dentrix) and sign in as you normally would.
2. Back in Rebrief, click Refresh on the sync row. This re-checks immediately instead of waiting for the next automatic check.
3. Once Rebrief sees your PMS, the row turns green and the button changes to Sync.

Tip: Give your PMS a moment to finish loading before clicking Refresh — Rebrief can only detect it once it's fully open.

"Multiple PMSs running"

If you have more than one PMS open at the same time, Rebrief can't safely guess which one to import from, so it pauses and asks you to choose.

The sidebar isn't where you make that choice — the button there reads Pick, and the row's hint points you to the Calendar. Go to your Calendar to choose which PMS Rebrief should sync from, then run the sync. The simplest alternative is to close the PMS apps you're not using so only one remains open; the status then clears to green on its own.