Why don't I see any builtin topic data when subscribing to DDS_TopicBuiltinTopicData?

Note: Applies to RTI Data Distribution Service 4.1 and above.

The DDS_TopicBuiltinTopicData built-in topic is meant to convey information about discovered Topics. It is a known issue in RTI Data Distribution Service 4.1 and 4.2 that these topic samples are not propagated in a separate packet on the wire. Instead, the data is sent as part of the information carried by other built-in topics (DDS_PublicationBuiltinTopicDataand DDS_SubscriptionBuiltinTopicData). Therefore, DDS_TopicBuiltinTopicData DataReaders will not receive any data. 

See also 4.3e Release Notes.